Polestar records 8% CO2 cut

Polestar says it has reduced relative CO2 emissions per car sold by 8% last year compared to 2021 in continued efforts to decouple business growth from increased emissions.

It says that was during a year of record global volume growth and that it’s on track towards its climate goal of halving emissions by 2030.

Publishing its third annual sustainability report, Polestar says updates include increased traceability on risk materials and new partners for the Polestar 0 project.

The company delivered nearly 51,500 cars in 2022, an increase of 80% since 2021.

While absolute emissions have increased as a result of the scale-up, relative emissions on a per-unit-basis have reduced by 13% since 2020, says Polestar.

This is the second consecutive year the company combined rapid growth with carbon cuts.

Polestar says the CO2 reduction is due to several factors, including high sales in markets with more renewable energy on grids, and ongoing updates. An example is a change of supplier providing aluminium for the wheels and battery trays for Polestar 2, where a change to a hydro-powered smelter resulted in a 1.2 tonne reduction per car.

Other contributing factors are the factory where Polestar 2 is built now running on 100% renewable electricity, as well as a diversified product portfolio with a larger share of single motor vehicles which have a lower energy demand during production.

“We wear our emissions on our sleeve – measuring and scrutinising every detail ensures we keep our eye on the ball,” says Polestar sustainability head Fredrika Klarén.

“Electrification alone is not enough and pure EV-makers like Polestar have a lot of work ahead of us. “Our focus remains unchanged as we double down on cutting emissions in our supply chain.”

Polestar uses blockchain to trace risk materials back to the mine, mitigating social and environmental risks in complex supply chains. Material traceability is now increased to include cobalt, mica, lithium, nickel as well as leather and wool. 

 The Polestar 0 project, the company’s goal to create a truly climate-neutral car by 2030, has now been joined by more than 20 leading players from various industries, all focused on finding solutions to eliminate CO2e and re-think processes instead of relying on offsetting schemes.

During 2022 Polestar teamed up with Circle Economy and STENA Recycling to measure the company’s impact and set a circularity baseline, from which work will be done to improve raw material consumption, biodiversity and recyclability.

Polestar also received additional certification in February 2023 as it was rated a low-risk 17 by Sustainalytics.

Click here for the 2022 sustainability report.