Goodyear: An Industry Goes Green

The European Green Deal of 2019 aims for a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector compared to levels in 1990. CO2 emissions from new heavy-duty trucks must be reduced by 15 percent from 2025 and by 30 percent from 2030, as calculated according to VECTO. At the same time, more and more consumers and investors prefer and reward companies with a clear CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategy. 
The first Goodyear Sustainable Reality Survey of 2021 sought to find out what transport companies are currently doing to reduce their CO2 footprint and what goals they aim to achieve (we reported). The responses to the survey show that sustainability has significant importance for actors in the transport sector. 985 fleet operators from 36 European countries took part in the survey from August to September 2021. Of these, 98 fleet operators came from the DACH region.

Sustainability is a major issue

Accordingly, companies of all sizes are attaching increasing importance to environmental protection measures. Three-quarters of all respondents consider sustainability to be an important or very important issue. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, even 82 percent of the companies surveyed consider it important. 60 percent of survey participants in the DACH markets stated that the issue is part of their corporate values. 

“The responses to the Goodyear Sustainable Reality Survey of 2021 are very encouraging. They underline that environmental sustainability is high on the agenda of the transportation industry. While reducing emissions in the production of new vehicles is receiving increased attention, fleet managers are also taking appropriate measures. They are responding positively to the challenges posed by climate change to achieve their CO2 reduction goals and support the transition to a climate-neutral future,” says Maciej Szymanski, Director Marketing Europe of the Commercial Business Unit at Goodyear. 

Fleet operators with more than 500 vehicles are leading the way in incorporating an environmentally oriented corporate culture into their daily business. Seventy percent of the large fleets state that they have clearly defined environmental goals. By 2022, four out of five survey participants aim to introduce environmentally related performance indicators, an increase of 38 percent compared to 2021. In the DACH region, nearly 50 percent of the participating fleets have defined sustainability goals, and nearly 30 percent plan to introduce sustainability goals within the next twelve months.

“The sector is moving towards a greener future. But it is also at a turning point in other respects, as transport and logistics companies across Europe face demand fluctuations, time and cost pressures, and increased complexity. For these companies to meet both their sustainability and efficiency goals, simple solutions are needed. To further accelerate development, sustainability must become a matter of course,” says Szymanski.