European sustainability initiative gets backing from Ford

7 November 2019

Ford has joined the ′New Deal for Europe’ initiative to foster greater cooperation and innovation for a sustainable future.

The ′New Deal’ calls on businesses, governments, organisations and policy-makers to work together to develop a comprehensive Sustainable Europe 2030 strategy based on the United Nations Development Goals and the Paris Climate Accord. The strategy shall balance environmental, economic and societal needs while tackling the challenges of climate change.

Popular backing

Initiated by CSR Europe, the European business network for Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, the call-to-action has been endorsed by more than 200 CEOs and company leaders, including Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe.

′When businesses and governments introduce sustainability measures, they tend to put their own interests first. But climate change is an issue that affects us all, and it requires acting out of the interests of everyone. What better way to initiate that than by calling for widespread collaboration across industries, communities and borders, which can have the biggest impact and help us reach our sustainability goals together,’ Rowley said.

The signees come from a range of industries and is the widest group of CEOs ever mobilised in Europe. On the road to developing the Sustainable Europe 2030 strategy, businesses and governments shall set up collaborative platforms and finance models to create a sustainable economy that works towards social cohesion and lifelong employment.

Sustainable movement

Many carmakers are now working towards making their businesses more sustainable. Volkswagen is aiming to become net CO2-neutral by 2050, while Volvo has launched a plan to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint by 40% between 2018 and 2025, as it furthers its ambition of being a climate-neutral company by 2040.

For 20 years, Ford has published its sustainability report, with the company setting new sustainability targets each year. Key Ford sustainability goals include eliminating single-use plastics from operations by 2030 and using 100% renewable energy for all manufacturing plants globally by 2035. Ford has also produced its own climate change report.

For more than 10 years, Ford has used 100% green electric power at all of its facilities in Cologne by facilitating renewable energy provided by the local energy supplier.

Earlier this year, Ford committed that all the company’s future nameplates would include an electrified option. The company will launch 17 electrified models for Europe by 2023 that are designed to help make cities cleaner and quieter by increasingly using more environmentally-friendly electric power. 

The carmaker will also take advantage of its new partnership with Volkswagen, using the German company’s MEB electric platform to make up to three battery-electric models. The MEB recently entered production, underpinning VW’s new ID.3 model.