Author: Maciamo Hay. Written in September 2020.
The automobile industry is a major contributor to global warming. CO2 emissions from driving vehicles is only a small part of the environmental impact from the industry. The manufacturing process itself produces greenhouse gases. This is why even if all cars became electric, it would not make the automobile industry carbon neutral. But the biggest concern is that the manufacturing of cars, trucks and motorbikes uses vast amount of natural resources, including metals, petrol (for plastics), leather and rubber - all major drivers of deforestation in tropical regions. You can check the carbon footprint of most new models of petrol, hybrid and electric cars here.
Car makers have made enormous progress over the past decades to lower vehicle emissions, which not only slashed the contribution of road transport to global warming, but also reduced air pollution, a major health risk. Electric vehicles will make the air even cleaner, but the production of their huge batteries also carry an environmental cost. Few people know how sustainable car makers are in the way they manufacture and design their vehicles. This page attempts to provide an answer with the latest data available, first for car makers, then for tyre makers.
Methodology
Four indices were used to assess the manufacturers' ecological commitment.
The S&P Global ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) for 2019 is a comprehensive rating and assesses company's overall sustainability with regard to economic, environmental, and social factors. S&P (Standard & Poor's) is a New York-based company specialised in corporate ratings.
CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is an organisation based in the UK which supports companies and cities to disclose the environmental impact of major corporations. It provides separate ratings for climate change and water security. Scores are for 2019 or the latest year available.
The American magazine Newsweek's Green Rankings 2017 are one of the world's most recognized assessments of corporate environmental performance. It focuses on energy, carbon, water and waste productivity.
The CSRHub provides ratings of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) using 12 indicators of employee, environment, community and governance performance. CSRHub is a B Corporation based in New York.
Most sustainable car makers
Subsidiaries are mentioned in brackets. Not enough data was available to include Jaguar-Land Rover or Tesla.
| Company |
S&P Global |
CDP Climate |
CDP Water |
CDP Average |
Newsweek |
CSRHub |
OVERALL SCORE |
Audi ![]() |
|
95 |
100 |
97.5 |
58 |
95 |
83.50 |
BMW ![]() (Mini Cooper) |
78 |
95 |
95 |
95 |
53.3 |
97 |
80.83 |
PSA ![]() (Peugeot, Citroën, Opel) |
80 |
100 |
|
100 |
45.5 |
96 |
80.38 |
Toyota ![]() (Lexus) |
59 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
72 |
84 |
78.75 |
Volkswagen ![]() (SEAT, Skoda) |
|
95 |
100 |
97.5 |
40.1 |
91 |
76.20 |
Hyundai ![]() |
60 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
58.8 |
82 |
75.20 |
General Motors ![]() (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC) |
76 |
95 |
100 |
97.5 |
32.2 |
90 |
73.93 |
Daimler ![]() (Mercedes Benz, Smart) |
40 |
95 |
|
95 |
61.9 |
92 |
72.23 |
Nissan ![]() |
61 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
57.3 |
70 |
72.08 |
Renault ![]() |
50 |
95 |
80 |
87.5 |
50.7 |
95 |
70.80 |
Honda ![]() |
80 |
80 |
75 |
77.5 |
36.2 |
87 |
70.18 |
Porsche ![]() |
34 |
95 |
100 |
97.5 |
|
75 |
68.83 |
Ford ![]() |
30 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
57.4 |
84 |
67.85 |
Mazda ![]() (Infiniti) |
72 |
95 |
75 |
85 |
20.3 |
92 |
67.33 |
Fiat Chrysler ![]() ![]() (Abarth, Alpha Romeo, Dodge, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati) |
|
95 |
80 |
87.5 |
14.2 |
84 |
61.90 |
Volvo ![]() |
29 |
95 |
|
95 |
31.1 |
89 |
61.03 |
Mitsubishi Motors ![]() |
26 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
|
71 |
59.00 |
KIA ![]() |
25 |
100 |
|
100 |
18.2 |
80 |
55.80 |
Subaru ![]() |
33 |
80 |
35 |
57.5 |
37.4 |
88 |
53.98 |
Ferrari ![]() |
54 |
40 |
|
40 |
|
64 |
52.67 |
Suzuki ![]() |
20 |
80 |
75 |
77.5 |
20.1 |
73 |
47.65 |
Isuzu ![]() |
20 |
95 |
80 |
87.5 |
|
79 |
46.63 |
Most sustainable tyre makers
| Company |
S&P Global |
CDP Climate |
CDP Water |
CDP Average |
CSRHub |
OVERALL SCORE |
Pirelli ![]() |
85 |
100 |
80 |
90 |
93 |
89.33 |
Bridgestone ![]() |
72 |
95 |
80 |
87.5 |
87 |
82.17 |
Nokian Renkaat  |
79 |
80 |
75 |
77.5 |
89 |
81.83 |
Michelin ![]() |
52 |
95 |
95 |
95 |
90 |
79.00 |
Hankook ![]() |
78 |
95 |
75 |
85 |
73 |
78.67 |
Yokohama Rubber ![]() |
29 |
100 |
80 |
90 |
89 |
69.33 |
Goodyear/Dunlop ![]() |
39 |
80 |
75 |
77.5 |
84 |
66.83 |
Continental ![]() |
31 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
89 |
66.67 |
Sumitomo Rubber ![]() |
29 |
80 |
75 |
77.5 |
72 |
59.50 |
