ZF has set the goal of becoming climate-neutral by no later than 2040. By 2030, emissions from the company's production sites worldwide are to be reduced by around 80 percent compared to 2019. An important lever for this is the use of electricity from renewable energy sources. The technology group has now concluded long-term supply agreements with corresponding suppliers and is taking a big step closer to its climate neutrality target.

ZF is continuously converting its power supply across the board. As early as 2030, the technology group will produce its entire energy requirements from sustainable sources; and by 2025, the procurement quota should reach 40 percent. For example, ZF plants in Germany will be supplied with up to 210 gigawatt hours of green electricity in each of the years 2022 to 2025 via supply agreements with renewable energy providers, which accounts for around 30 percent of total volume in Germany.

The agreed purchase volumes, which correspond to the electricity consumption of 72,000 households, will reduce CO2 emissions by 80,000 tons annually. The Norwegian state-owned Statkraft Group, with which ZF has concluded a supply agreement, will supply the German ZF locations entirely with electricity from wind farms in Zaragoza, Spain, in 2022 and 2023. In 2024 and 2025, Enovos Energie Deutschland will take over the supply of green power from an onshore wind farm in Scandinavia. "With the supply agreements, we are underpinning our ambitions to sustainably promote the expansion of renewable energies. The focus on green power fits with our corporate culture and our technological leadership as a globally active manufacturer of transmissions for wind turbines," says Dr. Michael Karrer, who is responsible for sustainability, environmental management and occupational safety throughout the ZF Group.

ZF is becoming more climate-friendly not only by sourcing more green power, but also by consuming less. By 2030, the energy efficiency of ZF locations is to be increased by 20 percent compared to 2019. In addition, ZF primarily relies on technical green energy solutions, for example participations in new offshore wind farms and long-term power purchase agreements. Special attention is being paid to power generation by wind turbines with ZF's own drive technology. For example, a planned wind turbine is in the approval phase to be installed at the Lommel site in Belgium, the headquarters of ZF's Wind Power Driveline Technology business unit.

To underscore its commitment to climate protection, ZF joined the World Economic Forum's Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders in early 2020. The alliance commits its private sector members to actively participate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to help shape the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. At the World Economic Forum, ZF is also a founding member of the First Movers Coalition, which aims to strengthen demand for low-emission technologies.

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