In 2013, Renault moved to the top spot in Europe as the carmaker with the lowest CO2 emissions in use

June 5, 2014: By making a public commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 10% between 2010 and 2013, and by meeting that objective, the Renault group has achieved an automotive industry first.

The policy is part of the Group’s determination to reduce the greenhouse gases (and CO2 in particular) emitted by its products and activities and to play an active part in the fight against global warming potential worldwide.

Renault has led an environmental policy applying to all its business lines for nearly 20 years. And with a view to continuous improvement, Renault has committed to pursuing its efforts throughout the duration of the strategic plan, the objective being to reduce its carbon footprint by an average 3% a year between 2010 and 2016 in line with its world sales forecasts.

To that end, Renault is rolling out action plans across the entire life cycle of its products and all its activities.

Particular focus is placed on the vehicle use phase, which generates a large part of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated in the overall carbon footprint. In 2013, Renault moved to the top spot in Europe as the carmaker with the lowest CO2 emissions in use*, at less than 115 g/km of CO2, through an increasingly economical range of internal-combustion vehicles and the breakthrough launch of a range of all-electric vehicles.

Because the extraction of the raw materials required to produce vehicles accounts for a significant share of its carbon footprint, Renault is pursuing its efforts in the use of recycled materials. It is a leader in the use of recycled plastics, with an average rate of 11% – a figure on the constant increase.

Renault is reducing the carbon footprint of all its activities. The Group’s plants are cutting their energy consumption and making growing use of renewable energies, as seen at the Tangiers plant in Morocco, designed as a “zero carbon emissions” site. In terms of logistics transport, fill rates are optimized to reduce the number of trucks chartered. The Group is also working to cut greenhouse gas emissions in its tertiary activities, notably through the introduction of more energy-efficient IT equipment and solutions for reducing professional travel.

* Average CO2 emissions over an NEDC-homologated combined cycle of Renault group PC registrations in 2013 in 23 EU countries (all EU countries except Cyprus, Malta, Romania and Bulgaria). Source data from AAA-DATA (Association Auxiliaire de l’Automobile), a CCFA subsidiary that manages auto sector data for public authorities.