Yanfeng, a leading global automotive supplier, has confirmed its short-term targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for its global interiors business. This commitment to make a scientifically based contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030 is in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Gunnar Büchter, Vice President Global Sustainability at Yanfeng, stated: “For the reduction of emissions, we have deliberately adopted science-based targets, which are verified by the internationally recognized Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The automotive industry remains a major driver of CO2 emissions and, as part of an industry which has a considerable impact on global warming, we need to act now in order to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement established in 2015. By setting science-based targets as a binding framework, we have made a concrete, public, and verifiable promise to the environment, society, and our customers.”
By 2030, Yanfeng has committed to reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions from its own production, its fleet of vehicles (scope 1) and from purchased energy (scope 2) by 50% in comparison with the baseline year 2019. This would contribute to the limitation of global warming to 1.5°C, thus meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement.
The company has multiple examples of success already. To reduce its emissions, Yanfeng utilizes power from renewable sources, including photovoltaic systems, for all of its plants in Europe and South Africa. In addition, the company has committed to a 27.5% reduction of scope 3 emissions by 2030 from upstream and downstream supply chains, including purchased raw materials and services, business travel, employee commuting, production and the disposal of products, as well as logistics. These targets are applicable for all company locations in Europe, South Africa, the United States, Canada, Mexico and Asia.
“Because we have determined the carbon footprint of our company, we know where we need to take action to reduce our emissions. Together with our commitment to scientifically validated targets we are creating the framework for our environmental sustainability strategy. However, we can only achieve these targets in collaboration with all of our partners in our value chain,” said Büchter.
The Science Based Targets initiative provides companies with a clearly defined framework for reducing emissions according to the latest climate science and the targets of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement, in order to make a contribution to limiting global warming. It was founded in 2015 by the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Yanfeng focuses on interiors, exteriors, seating, cockpit electronics and passive safety, with more than 240 locations and approximately 57,000 employees worldwide. The technical team of 4,200 experts is located at 12 R&D centers and other regional offices. Focusing on smart cabin and lightweight technology, Yanfeng helps automakers to explore future mobility concepts and provide leading cabin solutions.
