Indiana Engine Maker Cummins To Go Net Zero By 2050

Indiana engine manufacturer Cummins announced its new climate goals on Friday. The company plans to get down to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Transportation makes up almost 30 percent of all U.S. emissions that contribute to climate change. 

In order to achieve its 2050 goal, Cummins has several benchmarks for the next decade — including cutting emissions at its facilities in half, creating 25 percent less waste, and recycling all plastic packaging.

CEO Tom Linebarger says though the company is working to develop more sustainable technology, it’s too expensive right now and there isn’t enough infrastructure to support it.

“If we are going to make a significant impact, we must reduce the environmental footprint of all the products in our portfolio today as well as those in the future — from diesel to natural gas to electrified power to fuel cells,” he says.

Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute director Janet McCabe spoke in support of Cummin’s announcement.

“A particular challenge for a company like Cummins is that their carbon footprint does stop at their factory floor,” she says.

Cummins also hopes to reduce the emissions caused by its new products by 25 percent by 2030 and partner with its customers to decrease emissions in the field by 55 million metric tons.

Contact Rebecca at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele. 

Indiana Environmental reporting is supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Grand Challenge project developing Indiana-specific projections and informed responses to problems of environmental change.