Bosch announces unprecedented carbon neutral timeframe

Technology giant Bosch has announced that it will be carbon neutral by as early as next year, a timeframe that is thought to be unprecedented for any major industrial enterprise.

The firm said all its 400 directly owned and managed facilities across the world would no longer have a carbon footprint by 2020, mitigating 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

This will involve a €1bn investment in energy efficiency, larger purchases of green electricity, and the use of carbon offsets to compensate for unavoidable emissions.

Climate change is not science fiction; it's really happening. If we are to take the Paris Agreement seriously, then climate action needs to be seen not just as a long-term aspiration. It needs to happen here and now,“ said Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

“Driving bans, diesel protests, yellow vests, and Friday climate strikes – all this shows that companies need to take climate action and offer new solutions for urban air quality, not least to stabilise the social climate.“

By 2030, the company plans to save additional energy amounting to some 1.7 terawatt hours per year, which is more than one-fifth of its current annual consumption.

This comes after Bosch carried out 500 energy-efficiency projects last year, reducing power consumption by close to 1.5%. Connected manufacturing has also become a key efficiency driver for the firm.

It said that it would look to gradually scale back its carbon offsets in 2030, and step up investments in renewable energy.

The firm also intends to to enlarge company-owned photovoltaic systems such as those in place at the Nashik and Bidadi locations in India, creating a tenfold increase in installed energy capacity.

“Carbon neutrality is doable and, if pursued with the necessary determination, can be achieved quickly. Our investments benefit not only us at Bosch, but humankind in general as well,“ Denner added.

Image credit: Shutterstock