Skip to main content
Loading...
Accessibility

Carbon neutrality

Our ambition to achieve net zero carbon*

2040

in Europe*

2050

worldwide*

The transport sector is the main source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for around 23% of the global total, according to figures from the International Energy Agency. Over two-thirds of these emissions are generated by road transport, and more than half by private cars. It is therefore essential for the automotive sector to make the transition to low-carbon mobility.

We were the first full-line manufacturer to switch to all-electric vehicles. With almost 1.2 million electric vehicles sold on the road since the launch of the first ZOE over 15 years ago, we are making a significant contribution to lower emissions. Looking beyond the tailpipe, we have put in place a decarbonisation plan that is implemented not only in our plants, but also upstream with suppliers, and downstream with the large-scale organisation of reconditioning, dismantling and recycling for end-of-life vehicles and batteries. As part of a 360° approach, we are present throughout the vehicle life cycle, from cradle to grave.

Renault Group has already reduced its carbon footprint, measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalent, by 38% between 2019 and 2025

As part of its strategic plan, Renault Group is choosing continuity: we are reaffirming our ambition to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions in Europe as early as 2040, and globally by 2050, thereby contributing to the Paris Agreement."*

Our climate strategy aims to be both exemplary and useful for the entire industry.

* 90% reduction in Renault Group Scopes 1 + 2 + 3 compared with 2019 and investment in carbon sinks to offset residual emissions

Our main levers for action to move towards net zero carbon

FutuREady confirms the 2030 roadmap: 16 new electric models will be launched under the next plan; a further 25% reduction in energy consumption per vehicle produced (compared with 2025); 30% of materials sourced from the circular economy1—including steel, aluminium and polymers; and accelerated progress on batteries, with energy density expected to increase by 10% to 40%.

1including recycled materials in accordance with ISO 14021 and waste or production scraps reintroduced into manufacturing processes at an industrial site

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2030

Renault Group has set greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030: a reduction of at least 62% in emissions resulting from vehicle manufacturing (Scopes 1 and 2) compared to 2019; and a reduction of at least 27% in emissions resulting from upstream and downstream activities (Scope 3) compared to 2019.

To mark its progress towards net-zero carbon emissions, Renault Group has set two targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. Learn more here

Our ambitious, pragmatic climate plan

Deployed in 2021, the Climate Plan covers the entire vehicle life cycle, from design and procurement to production, service and end of life. A global approach to decarbonisation, to address a key challenge.

We are taking action on the upstream and downstream drivers of sustainable value creation (Scope 3): In the short term, we aim to: accelerate the electrification of vehicle use in Europe and globally, develop eco-design and the circular economy to secure our resources and reduce the carbon footprint of sourced materials and of our battery production, and continuously improve the energy efficiency of our factories (Scope 1 & 2).

In the space of four years, the climate has become both a strategic lever and a key operational issue at every level of the Group and in every business line. This has been made possible by our cradle-to-grave approach, which has enabled us to identify and activate a number of decarbonisation levers across the entire vehicle life cycle.

Our concrete action plan

Vehicle use
Materials and end of life
Production

Vehicle use

Accelerating electrification

Vehicles are the main source of GHG emissions, owing to the exhaust fumes emitted by ICE engines, both petrol and diesel. These fumes account for 85% of total emissions. They are therefore our priority and the main way for carmakers to reduce their carbon footprint,.

To reduce this impact, our main focus is on electrification. As pioneers in electric mobility at the start of the 2010s, we now have around ten electric vehicles in our brands’ passenger and commercial vehicle lineups. In Europe, we are maintaining this momentum with 22 launches during the upcoming futuReady cycle, including 16 fully electric models.

This is a key strategic focus for the Group, which has set up an entity dedicated to electric mobility – Ampere – overseeing the sites producing the Group’s electric powertrains and vehicles.

Supporting the development of the electric ecosystem

We are also supporting the mobility market through the deployment of EVCI (Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure) points and charging services not only in our dealerships, but also in homes and businesses

We are also taking action to reduce the impact of our after-sales activities, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption. Applying the principles of the circular economy to extend the service life of products, we supply remanufactured, reconditioned original spares, equivalent to or even better than new parts in terms of quality. We also supply used parts from end-of-life vehicles and provide repair or retrofit services for converting ICE vehicles to electric power. To develop this range of products and services, Renault Group is supported by its entity dedicated to the automotive circular economy: The Future Is NEUTRAL.

Materials and end of life

Vehicle eco-design

From the design stage, we prefer low-GHG materials or recycled materials with a far smaller carbon footprint than new materials. We also work upstream with suppliers to source less carbon-intensive, recycled and/or bio-sourced materials. Our target is to achieve 33% of recycled content of by 2030.

Procurement

This is a fundamental issue, given that the process of parts and materials procurement for automotive production accounts for around 16% of the GHG emissions of each vehicle across its life cycle. Our target is to reduce emissions from the transportation of parts and vehicles.

Decarbonised procurement

Steel, aluminium, polymers, electronic components, glass and tyres. By focusing on these six components, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint. We will achieve this by developing a shared commitment with our key suppliers. To this end, we are working with our suppliers to implement carbon reporting for future projects.
We are also targeting a green, low-carbon, sustainable battery. We aim to reduce the carbon footprint of our batteries by developing low-carbon supply chains for batteries and materials such as nickel, lithium and cobalt.

In addition, the company is turning to other alternative energy sources, notably dual-energy electric motors (rechargeable battery and hydrogen fuel cell), of which the Renault Emblème demo-car is a good example. Alpine is also working on hydrogen, with the Alpenglow Hy4 and Hy6 prototypes, presented in 2024.

Recycling and end-of-life

Recovering end-of-life vehicles is a key aspect of low-carbon mobility. Recovery is part of the process to build new cleaner vehicles with a lower impact. To achieve this aim, we are supported by The Future Is NEUTRAL, which has developed closed loops for recycling materials such as copper, plastic, steel and aluminium and feeding them back into the production of new vehicles.

We aim to reduce our energy consumption per vehicle produced by 25% by 2030 compared to 2025. Across all our plants, we have already achieved a 28% reduction since 2021.

Production

Although the actual vehicle production process accounts for just a small proportion of the manufacturer’s carbon footprint (less than 1% in the case of Renault Group), it is nevertheless another area of action.

More compact plants

Reducing the size of our industrial facilities also contributes to reducing GHG emissions from our sites. Our objective is to reduce our covered surface area by 750,000m² by 2025. In 2023, the Douai site decreased its surface area by 63,000 m² and the Tangiers site by 13,000 m².

Optimising manufacturing processes

With the digitalisation of industry, energy use can be monitored in real time in order to improve efficiency. In 2022, we set up a dedicated energy portal – Ecogy – as part of our industrial metaverse. The portal gathers data on the use of electricity, gas, compressed air and water on a single interface. We have installed over 10,000 sensors, connecting them to the industrial metaverse to improve energy management.

Renewable energy supplies

To implement alternatives to fossil fuels at our manufacturing sites, we are working with a network of partners to make the transition to renewables, through initiatives involving photovoltaic, geothermal and biomass energies.
We are aiming to significantly reduce the amount of energy consumed for each vehicle produced, by 40% in France and 30% worldwide between now and 2025, compared with 2021. At end-2023, we had already achieved a 20% reduction across our plants. We are now two-thirds of the way to our goal.