At Volkswagen Group's annual press conference in its hometown of Wolfsburg last week, CEO Herbert Diess committed the world's largest automaker to an impressive, aggressive goal: a zero net carbon footprint by 2050.
Yes, that's a super big ask from a company that puts millions of diesel and gasoline-powered cars and trucks on the road each year. In fact, Diess said, emissions from Volkswagen's vehicles and operations account for 1 percent of all the CO2 produced each year.
So when Automotive News asked Diess whether that aggressive goal would mean an end to travel by the least CO2-efficient means possible — private jet — for the company's management board, Diess hedged a little before making a personal confession.
He said his travel produces 1,300 tonnes of CO2 annually, vs. 7 to 8 tonnes for an average European. But he's working to cut his number by 20 percent, in part by flying commercially more often.
"If you have this kind of global footprint, and the amount of work we need to accomplish, I think for the time being, it is unavoidable that we need to operate this kind of aircraft," he said. "But we are certainly paying attention to CO2 and other measures as well. Therefore, we are optimizing the composition, particularly for the shorter distances here in Europe, but for the time being, it is the only way to do what we are requested to do."
