PARIS -- Automakers need to change the way they tackle the huge challenge of achieving carbon neutrality by looking at it as a business opportunity, attendees of the Automotive News Europe Congress held in Paris last month were told.
Global companies such as Hyundai, Toyota and Renault have set ambitious targets to become carbon neutral amid a mandated shift to electrification.
Selling more electric vehicles in Europe and globally will help cut their overall carbon footprint in the use phase, but also exposes them to a very different raw-material supply chain that increases CO2 use in the production phase.
The same companies are also being encouraged to take a closer look at their existing fleet and establish how to either extend the life of cars already on the road or, if they're terminally broken, recycle parts or materials.
The topic of sustainability "dominates each forum we go to," Toyota Europe Chief Operating Officer Matt Harrison told attendees at the Paris event.
"The majority of questions are not on financial performance, market share, volumes or product but on this topic. It's what people care about," Harrison said.