Committed to Sustainability: From Paris Agreement to Planting Trees

Our ambitious objective to be carbon neutral by 2025 in our European operations and by 2030 in our global operations will be the culmination of working with 350+ Magna plants around the world. Some are hitting that target well ahead of schedule.

Eight Magna powertrain divisions in Germany achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 by maximizing energy efficiency and incorporating renewable energy into their operations. Our Magna Steyr complete vehicle manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria is on track to achieve carbon neutrality by 2022, and has already reduced its CO2 emissions by 12,000 tons over the past eight years.

Other Magna locations around the world are coming up with innovative ways to meet the challenges of what some experts call “the race of our lifetime,” as we target sustainable ways to do business.

• At our Polycon Industries division in Guelph, Ontario, over 3,000 “green” suggestions from employees have been implemented in the past five years. They include an on-site garden that provides hundreds of pounds of vegetables for the local food bank and a “leave no trace” environmental policy that has become the facility’s mantra.
• A Magna plant in Shanghai, China developed an innovative approach to providing the cooling water required to run a new diecasting machine, resulting in significant energy savings during the manufacturing process and providing a template for other plants.
• Employees at our Craiova division in Romania launched a “Lend a hand to the environment, plant good deeds!” campaign, which included the planting of 10,000 oak and ash trees by volunteers.

To further encourage these ideas and to foster sharing best practices throughout the company, Magna has announced an internal Commitment to Sustainability Awards program. While every Magna plant has an “energy champion” and an energy-savings team, we want all of our employees to get excited about the goal of conserving resources.

At the same time, automakers are looking to Magna as a key partner in speeding electrification and the rollout of battery electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions.

Magna is supplying the EV platform and building Fisker’s electric Ocean SUV. Our battery enclosures that provide the structural support for EVs are just hitting the market, while our new eBeam electric axle is designed to bring electrified trucks to market more quickly. Magna’s EtelligentReach, an advanced BEV solution, improves vehicle range, making clean vehicles more appealing to the average consumer.

Mitigating climate change through product development goes beyond vehicle electrification. Magna seats for example, use recycled foam and environmentally friendly soy or castor oil. Our active aerodynamic systems help improve fuel economy and lower emissions. Innovative technologies, such as our thermoplastic liftgate, reduce the use of steel, aiding in vehicle lightweighting.

Our vision of a more sustainable enterprise began more than 60 years ago and is the foundation on which we build today. Our pledge to support the planet is deeply rooted in our culture as Magna has always been a company that is well respected in the industry and world for doing the right things – not because we have to, but because we want to.

Most importantly, our sustainability efforts large and small will have far-reaching impacts for our customers, our stakeholders, our industry and our planet.