EV maker Rivian has pledged to introduce a car with half the carbon emissions footprint of its unique fashions by 2030, in response to its inaugural “affect” report, launched Jan. 12.

Rivian’s emissions discount technique will lean closely on rising the recycled supplies it makes use of to supply its pickup vehicles, SUVs and business vans — corresponding to those it provides to e-commerce big Amazon.

That is the corporate’s first environmental affect disclosure, so there aren’t any past-year comparisons for its outcomes. Rivian isn’t formally a part of the Science Primarily based Targets initiative, though Rivian CSO Anisa Kamadoli Costa informed GreenBiz the corporate is following the “similar targets.”

“We’re dedicated to at all times working with a full consciousness of the problem,” mentioned Kamadoli Costa within the report.

Particulars on Rivian’s CO2 per mile baseline

The corporate reported emitting 130,306 metric tons of Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gases in 2022, and a couple of.05 million metric tons of Scope 3 emissions. It consumed 350,323 megawatt-hours of vitality, about 54 % was electrical energy; 3.7 % of its electrical energy got here from renewable vitality sources. Rivian has signed a number of contracts to purchase solar energy, together with a $1 billion deal to construct a photo voltaic farm on a coal mine in Kentucky.

Rivian additionally shared life-cycle assessments for six autos, describing the emissions from its provide chain and uncooked supplies, on-site manufacturing and logistics, buyer operations and repair, and decommissioning.

The smallest of Rivian’s business vans, for instance, emits 364 grams of carbon dioxide equal per mile. The methodology is in a separate report, and Rivian encourages different automakers to do the identical for measuring per-vehicle emissions — most don’t right now.

“We imagine a typical [life-cycle assessment] methodology within the automotive trade would encourage a sooner decarbonization of the transportation sector and higher inform prospects about the advantages and trade-offs amongst autos,” the corporate mentioned.

The assessments present an 8 % lower in lifetime emissions from Rivian’s first vehicles and SUVs in comparison with its more moderen fashions. That analysis recognized high priorities for Rivian’s sustainability staff, Kamadoli Costa mentioned. These embody:

• Decreasing carbon emissions associated to supplies. Its largest impacts come from the metal, aluminum and battery provide chains. A precedence record might be drawn up by 2025.
• Slicing manufacturing vitality per car.
• Enhancing operational effectivity by way of software program and design, corresponding to aerodynamic modifications and improved propulsion programs.
• Growing renewable vitality investments, notably associated to the Rivian charging community.

‘Zero supplies waste and nil air pollution’

Rivian’s plan is to “gradual consumption of major supplies, scale back waste, restrict biodiversity loss and decarbonize our enterprise.” The final word aim: “zero supplies waste and nil air pollution throughout manufacturing, utilization and disposal.”

At its facility in Regular, Illinois, Rivian diverted 82.3 % of its manufacturing waste from landfill; its 2030 aim is to achieve one hundred pc.

Rivian already makes use of recycled supplies in its EVs however hasn’t disclosed particulars, Kamadoli Costa mentioned. Its particular targets for recycled content material are to extend the odds:

• To a minimal of 70 % in metal and aluminum.
• To a minimal of 40 % in polymers. (That aim additionally contains biobased options.)

“I might say that essentially the most important supplies from a reuse perspective are metal and aluminum, the most important by far when it comes to quantity,” Kamadoli Costa informed GreenBiz. “What’s good is that there’s a whole lot of work occurring within the broader system on the subject of metal and aluminum recycled content material. So, we’re enthusiastic about participating with companions alongside your entire worth chain, like current ones, but additionally new ones which might be on the market engaged on this.”

One instance is Rivian’s program to gather plastic trash from communities within the Philippines, Haiti, Indonesia, Brazil and Egypt, which might in any other case find yourself within the ocean, and rework it into 39,000 bulk bins and greater than 78,000 tote luggage for the corporate’s factories and suppliers.

Different priorities, outlined within the report:

• Design autos that may be repaired and disassembled simply, so parts are simpler to switch and reuse. It’s additionally engaged on monetary and possession fashions to get better EVs from these completed driving them.
• Develop the capability of its remanufacturing heart in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, which handles electrical {hardware}, drive models and battery packs.

The benefit of a clear slate

In contrast to lots of its rivals, Rivian gained’t must disrupt current processes to make these modifications, Kamadoli Costa mentioned. “We’re on the very starting of our journey, simply initially state of promoting our autos to shoppers, however I feel the important thing factor is that we have now this eye in direction of circularity for our enterprise from the start,” she mentioned.

Rivian made 57,232 autos in 2023, its first full 12 months of manufacturing, and delivered 50,122 of them. Income for the primary 9 months of 2023 was $3.2 billion, with a internet lack of $3.9 billion. It’s scheduled to report full-year outcomes Feb. 21.

For perspective, Ford Motor offered 72,000 all-electric autos final 12 months. About 32,000 of them had been fashions that compete straight with Rivian. Basic Motors offered about 75,900 all-electric autos, though most had been the now-discontinued Bolt, a shopper hatchback that focused a special market from Rivian’s bigger, business autos. Tesla was the undisputed battery electrical chief with about 654,900 autos, principally passenger class.