Jackie Thompson
The world鈥檚 top automakers are generating an estimated 74 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, according to a report by Greenpeace, a statistic due to the industry鈥檚 failure to . While efforts such as electric vehicle adoption are quickly gaining traction, focusing environmentally conscious practices on vehicle production and manufacturing processes will further work to address and minimize the industry鈥檚 carbon footprint from the start. With automakers addressing the materials that are used in manufacturing to the role that recycling plays (and how sustainable practices can be balanced with technology), the industry is making聽strides towards eco-conscious solutions聽in more ways than one.
A Key Manufacturing Material 鈥� Making Progress
The Greenpeace report highlights the fact that the top 16 automakers used an estimated 39 to 65 million tons of steel in 2022 alone. While the industry is 鈥渉eavily dependent鈥� on steel as a manufacturing material, the 2023 Al Jazeera post further points out that the amount of carbon emissions involved in the process have pushed the world鈥檚 temperatures 鈥渆ver closer to the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold that climate scientists say will spell disaster,鈥� according to Greenpeace. Greenpeace East Asia senior analyst Wenjie Liu noted of the matter: 鈥淎utomotive steel has a massive carbon footprint, but major automakers like Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Toyota have not disclosed their steel emissions. We need automakers to both consume less steel and to drive the transition to zero-carbon steelmaking.鈥�
According to Automotive Dive, Mercedes-Benz already sources CO2-reduced steel from Salzgitter, in Germany. 鈥淭he steel is produced entirely from scrap using an electric arc furnace, which can reduce carbon emissions by more than 60% compared with blast furnaces.鈥� While it鈥檚 noted that the automaker has a similar deal with the Italy-based Arvedi, the 2023 article further notes that Mercedes-Benz has announced an agreement with H2 Green Steel (based in Sweden) to supply 50,000 tons of nearly CO2-free steel per year聽. According to Automotive Dive, the agreement 鈥渁ims to establish a more sustainable steel supply chain for Mercedes-Benz in North America.鈥�
Innovation in Auto Recycling
聽While steel is a key material used by automakers around the world, there are additional material solutions that can be used to create a sustainable industry. Ford, for example, has 鈥渆ight plant or bio-based materials in its vehicles,鈥� including soy, wheat straw, kenaf, cellulose tree fiber, coconuts, and rice hulls. Additionally, it鈥檚 noted that the Ford sustainable materials team is currently working on approximately 20 other sustainable material candidates, including unique materials such as tomato peels and even recycled U.S. currency. The automaker already uses聽, such as seat fabrics to plastics and beyond. In the manufacturing process, Ford recycles materials as well with their closed-loop aluminum recycling methods serving as one example. 鈥淲e work closely with our suppliers to recycle aluminum scraps, or 鈥渃hips,鈥� from the production of the 2017 Ford F-150 to make more vehicles,鈥� explains the site.
The auto industry supplier Faurecia is another example of a company using recycled materials. According to Design News, the company鈥檚 鈥淪eat for the Planet鈥� is a project that involves the creation of a lightweight seat that is about 15% lighter than the average seat. With the company aiming to use recycled materials throughout the entire seat and to make the materials 鈥渆asier to separate鈥� at the end of the seat鈥檚 life聽. Traditional seats, which include the use of polyurethane in the cushions, is noted to be 鈥渆specially challenging鈥� to find a sustainable replacement for. Regarding the 鈥淪eat for the Planet鈥� initiative, Design News notes that the seat is made from ten modules each made entirely of a single material 鈥� these are made from recycled, bio-sourced, or materials that are compatible for recycling, according to the project manager, Marthin Fr茅tign茅. And, to solve the polyurethane problem, Fr茅tign茅 describes using Auraloop 鈥� a technical solution that uses high-performance PET combined with 鈥渁 new transformation process.鈥�
Balancing Sustainability and Safety Via Technology
When aiming to contribute to a sustainable industry, considerations go beyond the physical materials used in manufacturing. For example, balancing goals that align with the environment and imperative aspects of the auto industry like safety is essential 鈥� yet a challenge. According to a Center for Automotive Research report, the greater standardization of targets and measures would help the auto industry reach net-zero emissions on a global scale by the year 2050. However, suppliers said that they often struggle 聽鈥� including safety. According to the report, they need automakers to 鈥渃learly and consistently value climate goals.鈥�
Smart manufacturing presents a variety of benefits, and involves the implementation of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cobots, and more. Beyond the technologies themselves, however, Forbes notes that what manufacturers can do with the tech is a key factor. 鈥淥ne important capability of smart manufacturing is it can help drive sustainability and create sustainable manufacturing processes.鈥� For manufacturing facilities aiming to minimize waste, gathering data on when, where, and why the waste is occurring can allow for effective management with聽. According to the post, operational safety is another area in which sustainability can be integrated.
Leveraging technology is just one option that can cater to both sustainability and safety throughout the automotive industry. According to Business & Industry, machine learning (ML) systems can be of significant benefit, particularly when it comes to reducing interruptions in the production line. Automotive industry specialist Richard Felton notes that ML systems can help avoid unplanned maintenance by analyzing data, which works聽. 鈥淚f you avoid unnecessary maintenance, you reduce costs, increase productivity, and do not have unplanned downtime,鈥� he explained. 鈥淢L not only handles the sheer scale, breadth and accuracy of the data, but also the timeliness.鈥� Technology also has great potential in heavy industries when it comes to enhancing safety in heavy industries that involve manufacturing. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics can work聽. 鈥淭echnology has assisted certain machines in their ability to run independently of human interaction, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) that is programmable by engineers or purpose-built robots that operate these dangerous practices themselves,鈥� Johann Cilliers, group marketing director at Welding Alloys said to Manufacturing Digital.
Improvements throughout the automotive industry are imperative when it comes to meeting climate goals and creating a more environmentally friendly industry across the board. From CO2-reduced steel to balancing safety with sustainability, there are a number of ways in which the manufacturing sector is breaking ground.