How Nissan is Driving Sustainable Change
In 2023, Nissan sold 3.4 million vehicles around the world.
Each one of these has an environmental impact through the materials used, manufacturing process, sales and delivery and being used on the roads.
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and, to do this, emissions worldwide need to be cut by 50% by 2030.
Nissan has revealed ambitious sustainability targets in its inaugural Integrated Report 2024.
These are in line with climate science to reduce its environmental impact and create a positive impact on society.
Makoto Uchida, President and CEO at Nissan, says: “We have launched this new vision because the time is right for Nissan to change gears from focusing on business transformation to realising a better future for society.
“We are taking this opportunity to clearly articulate how our innovations create unique value by empowering journeys through more confident, exciting, and integrated experiences and empower society by creating a smart ecosystem with integrated mobility.”
The Arc
In March 2024 Nissan announced The Arc business plan as ‘the bridge’ to its long-term vision.
It sits between the company’s NEXT transformation plan in place through FY2023 and the Nissan Ambition 2030, its longer term plan.
The Arc initiatives aim to increase annual sales by one million units and increase its operating profit margin to more than 6% by the end of FY2026, paving the way for a sustainable transition.
Through this plan, the company will accelerate the electric vehicle transition, prioritise reducing CO2 emissions, innovate technologies and use smart partnerships to contribute to a more sustainable future and its ultimate goal of carbon neutrality.
Nissan Green Program 2030
Nissan’s first mid-term action plan was released in 2002 to work towards achieving its longstanding environmental philosophy of “a symbiosis of people, vehicles and nature”.
It now aims to reach carbon neutrality throughout the lifecycle of its products and its business activities by 2050 and align itself with the 1.5 degree scenario by 2030.
The company’s newest plan, Nissan Green Program 2030 (NGP2030), focuses on three pillars: climate change, resource dependency and air quality and water.
NGP2030 sets out a range of sustainability targets for the company to complete by the year 2030.
- Reduce per-vehicle lifecycle CO2 emissions by 30%
- Reduce per-vehicle manufacturing CO2 emissions by 52%
- Reduce per-vehicle driving CO2 emissions for new models by 50% in four major markets
- Globally reduce per-vehicle driving CO2 emissions by 32.5%
- Increase the ratio of sustainable materials used in Japan, the US, Europe and China to 40%
Joji Tagawa, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Nissan, says: “Each generation of the programme has been driven by the most critical themes of the time, has driven business transformation and has achieved tangible impact.
“It makes us a more competitive company.”
As of 2023, Nissan already uses 32% sustainable materials in manufacturing in its major global markets and reduced life cycle CO2 by 30%.
Joji shared that the company aims to create vehicles without internal combustion engines by 2050, but a carbon neutral fuel may be used.
Nissan Social Program 2030
The Nissan Social Program 2030 (NSP2030) is a continuation of Nissan’s initiatives to make a positive impact on society and create a ‘truly sustainable’ business.
The programme focuses on six pillars:
- Safety
- Quality
- Responsible sourcing
- Intellectual property
- Communities
- Power of employees
Joji says: “At Nissan, we are a people-centric company.
“Due to our large size, whatever we do has an impact on society so we need to make sure we incorporate sustainability in all areas of our business.”
Nissan has an aspirational goal of zero traffic fatalities involving its vehicles and is implementing new technology to move towards this including new driver assistance technologies and a ‘safety shield’ concept.
Alongside this, the company aims to teach both drivers and pedestrians about traffic safety.
Joji explains: “Safety is not just a tech issue, it is also one of education.”
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