Automotive decarbonisation and corporate sustainability

Driving forward sustainability in the automotive sector

The automotive industry is racing to transform itself from the old fossil fuel centric model into a new world of electric mobility and sustainability. With increasing pressure from investors, shareholders, regulators and customers, organisations must have a credible and robust sustainability plan and be able to demonstrate progress.

A challenging road ahead

This transformation is a challenge for an industry that traditionally uses huge amounts of energy, metals, plastics and chemicals; all of which have their own sustainability and carbon impacts. And all this against a backdrop of the global pandemic, inflation, supply chain disruption and energy price rises.

An important, and growing issue for the automotive sector is the move to improve the sustainability across the value chain – this includes both environmental and social impacts. As natural resources become more and more scarce, sustainable value chains are becoming increasingly important for the automotive industry. Improving the circularity of products and components along the value chain is critical.

 

Challenging Road

With markets, regulations and your competition moving quickly, urgent action must be taken to embed sustainability into your operations, products and supply chain. The transition is complex, and there is no one size fits all. Managing the situation requires data, expertise and a robust strategy to drive execution and engage stakeholders.

Custom-built sustainability solutions

For more than 100 years, Ricardo has been using engineering and research and development expertise to help the automotive sector to innovate and improve efficiency and performance. Backed by this deep sectorial expertise our sustainability teams, comprising skilled engineers and scientists, provide tailored support to organisations across the automotive sector from strategy and transition planning through to implementation and reporting.

Our support enables you to capitalise on future trends and utilise cutting-edge market insights to stay ahead of complex and dynamic market pressures. With our robust science and data-driven solutions followed up with implementation support, we will help you to achieve your sustainability goals.

Sustainability Meeting

Related services

An ESG strategy will help you to understand and respond to the risk and opportunities that will impact your company’s success and long-term value creation. ESG reporting provides a snapshot of the business’s impact in these three areas for investors, customers and wider stakeholders. 

ESG  strategy and reporting

Whether you are just starting to plan your journey to net zero, or already have a roadmap in place and want expertise to deliver your ambitions, Ricardo is here to help. We can support you with reducing Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.

Net zero pathways

Ricardo can provide expert advice and support to help your company respond effectively to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and leverage the opportunities this regulation brings. 

CBAM support

We can help monitor  your greenhouse gas emissions and provide strategic advice on how to decarbonise.

Energy and carbon management

Our deep scientific analysis is helping our clients develop more sustainable products and/or demonstrate their already impressive environmental credentials.

Life cycle assessment

Our experts offer world-class packaging consultancy allowing you to innovate, increase your eco-credentials and comply with legislation.

Circular economy

Our long-established air quality team can help you to understand, manage and improve air quality.

Air quality

Ricardo's trusted global engineering team provide clean, efficient, integrated propulsion and energy solutions for global transport customers.
Engineering, design and development

Using deep technical knowledge we enable our clients to develop progressive sustainability and ESG strategies, underpinned by powerful execution pathways.

ESG  strategy and reporting

Your Scope 3 (or value chain) emissions can account for up to 90% of your organisation’s greenhouse gas impact. We can help you to tackle this traditionally difficult area through baselining, strategy development, target setting, supplier engagement, implementation and reporting.

Scope 3 emissions management

We provide innovative solutions tailored to your needs, supported by our specialists in energy systems, sustainability, carbon capture, sustainable transport, energy from waste, and more.

Renewable energy

Publicising information about your activities is a risk as well as an opportunity, so it’s important to get it right.Our team can support you to report correctly and offer advice to help you report future success.

Energy and carbon management

Our experts can tailor plan to help your organisation benefit from a circular economy approach including market assessment, resource mapping, sustainable procurement, stakeholder engagement and more.

Circular economy

We help clients to mitigate technological, financial and regulatory risk through our deep understanding of the regulatory and policy landscape.

Regulatory and policy advice

We are internationally recognised for our expertise in planning and overseeing complex and sensitive water and environmental projects.

Related resources

A selection of free sustainability resources and information

How to drive the circular economy in the automotive sector

Ricardo’s experts discuss the key drivers for circularity and provide practical advice on deploying circular economy business models, utilising circular materials, reporting your progress and applying life cycle assessment to inform decision-making.

Blog: Accelerating sustainability across the automotive value chain

Key challenges facing the  automotive industry on its sustainability journey.

A single European LCA standard for zero emission vehicles and batteries

Ricardo is working with consortium partners on the definitive European standard for life cycle assessment for zero emission vehicles and batteries.

How to use life cycle assessment to reduce your scope 3 carbon emissions

Find out how you can identify your organisation’s carbon hotspots and target your interventions.

Achieving net zero webinar series

This series hows how your organisation can develop an actionable net zero plan.

Ricardo delivers major European report on the lifecycle impacts of road vehicles

An innovative and comprehensive life cycle assessment of road vehicles on behalf of the European Commission.

UK-ALUMOTOR consortium and the sustainable electric motor supply chain

Leveraging national supply chains and engineering expertise to create the technology needed to kickstart the UK’s green industrial revolution and to meet net zero targets.

Get in touch

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