Ford Sets Course for Reaching Carbon Neutrality by 2050

(Photo: A Ford Mustang Mach-E. Credit: Ford Motor Company)

Ford Motor Company set a target of reaching carbon neutrality globally within the next 30 years. The automaker’s strategy for achieving this new goal involves focusing on three areas that account for 95% of their emissions worldwide.

Executives from Ford said on Thursday that they plan to zero in on vehicle use, supply base, and facilities. The automaker also aims to develop Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions goals that get approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. Last summer Ford was one of four major automakers to reach a voluntary agreement with California on fuel efficiency standards.

Electrification remains a priority for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company. They expect to invest more than $11.5 billion in electric vehicles through 2022. That means introducing zero-emission versions of their most popular cars. The all-electric Mustang Mach-E is arriving this year, with the Transit Commercial EV and fully electric F-150 coming within 24 months, the automaker said. A charging network of 13,500 stations and nearly 40,000 individual charge plugs is also in the works.

Upcycling has long been part of the company’s production process. “Starting in 2007, Ford introduced soy foam as an alternative to petroleum-based seat foam in the Mustang. Since then, the company has expanded application of soy foam to every one of its product lines in North America — more than 25 million vehicles, to date — preventing hundreds of millions of pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere,” according to the automaker. A collaboration with McDonald’s USA started last year to turn coffee chaff into vehicle parts.

The company has a circular approach outside the vehicle as well. For their F-Series trucks, Ford said that it uses a closed loop recycling system to recover as much as 20 million pounds of high-strength military-grade aluminum alloy per month.

Renewable energy is another part of the company’s carbon-cutting strategy. By 2035, Ford seeks to use 100% locally-sourced renewable energy for all of its manufacturing plants around the world. Last year the automaker collaborated with DTE Energy to procure 500,000 megawatt hours of wind energy in Michigan.

In setting the carbon neutrality target for 2050, the automaker acknowledged several major challenges. They include customer acceptance, government regulations, economic conditions as well as the availability of renewable carbon-neutral electricity and renewable fuels.

“We don’t have all the answers yet, but are determined to work with all of our global and local partners and stakeholders to get there,” said Bob Holycross, vice president, chief sustainability, environment and safety officer.