Will COP 26 be successful? That depends to a large extent on whether the blah blah, as Greta Thunberg calls it, is turned into real action. Electric car brand, Polestar, knows that climate action takes both ambition and accountability, and is determined to bring that second ingredient to the fore.
At the conference, the company is taking notes set in stone. Quite literally set in stone. Climate goals from car manufacturers at COP26 are being etched into a granite cube, creating a historical document for future generations to judge whether the industry did enough.
The idea comes from Forsman & Bodenfors and was born from frustration and concern about the lack of commitment from the car industry on becoming fully electric and more transparent.
“Greenwashing and a lack of transparency is holding us back. We must let data and science lead the way and bend the emission curve this decade through clear and ambitious targets,” stated Fredrika Klarén, head of sustainability at Polestar. “That is how we will put the odds in our favor to stay within the 1.5-degree climate target. The stone is a nice symbol; future generations can look at it and judge if our industry did enough at this crucial conference.”
Polestar began by engraving its own climate goals:
Climate Neutral Car by 2030 – Halve Emissions by 2030 – Climate Neutral Company by 2040
The granite cube measures 70x70x70 cm and the car brand’s goals are etched into it using an industry robot similar to the ones used in Polestar’s plants.
Ahead of Transport Day at COP26, on November 10, Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar chief executive officer, called for an accelerated shift to climate neutral mobility and increased transparency from the car industry to meet climate ambitions.
“This is not the time for incremental change, but radical change,” he stated. “Can you imagine describing to a child today that 30 years from now, cars will still produce toxic gases, making the air harsher to breathe?”
Polestar publishes full details of the CO2e footprint of its cars and has introduced an industry-unique Product Sustainability Declaration, making it easy and intuitive for consumers to consider the climate impact of different Polestar vehicles, along with price and range. The company also uses blockchain technology for supply chain transparency, with an ambitious scope that aims to track all risk materials including nickel, manganese, graphite and lithium, in addition to the cobalt that is traced today.
