Greenpeace: Carmakers Emit 74M Tonnes of CO2

A recent report by Greenpeace has revealed that the world’s leading automakers are responsible for generating an estimated 74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year due to their failure to decarbonize their steel supply chains. The report highlights that the automobile industry relies heavily on steel as a key manufacturing material, with the top 16 automakers using an estimated 39-65 million tonnes of steel in 2022 alone. Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai-Kia were identified as the top three automakers in terms of steel consumption, with Toyota using 6.3 million tonnes of steel in 2022 alone. The report warns that the industry’s dependency on steel is having a significant impact on the planet, contributing to rising global temperatures and pushing us ever closer to the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold that climate scientists say will spell disaster. Greenpeace is calling on automakers to both consume less steel and to drive the transition to zero-carbon steelmaking. The report also highlights the need for greater transparency from automakers, with none of the companies assessed disclosing the carbon emissions from their steel use.