We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
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Climate Lobbying Overview: ZF is engaged on climate policy, with mostly negative engagement around policies to electrify the automotive sector in the EU. The company appears to mostly oppose an EU zero-emissions 2035 CO2 target for cars and vans, and supports a long term role for internal combustion engine powered vehicles.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: ZF’s top-line messaging on climate policy is positive. The company supported reducing GHG emissions along IPCC aligned timescales in its 2021 Green Finance report, and CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider signed on to a joint letter in June 2021 that supported actions in line with a 1.5°C target. In a blog post on the company’s corporate website accessed in March 2023, ZF appeared to support the need for climate change regulation. ZF has expressed support for the goals of the Paris Agreement in both its Green Finance Report, published in April 2021, and in its Corporate Environmental, Health, and Safety Targets, published in March 2021.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: ZF appears to have opposed an EU 2035 zero-emissions CO2 target for cars and vans, and expressed negative engagement with emissions standards. In comments submitted in May 2021 on the EU’s CO2 emissions for cars and vans - revision of performance standards, the company opposed a 2035 zero emissions target for both cars and vans, and appeared to advocate for legislation that would incorporate the use of e-fuels. In March 2022 comments on the EU’s review of emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, the company opposed 100% CO2 reduction targets for long-haul lorries and urban buses, but supported these targets for vocational and special purpose vehicles. However, in the same consultation response, the company again advocated for legislation that allowed the use of e-fuels to meet net-zero targets.
CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider supported emissions trading in a joint letter in June 2021.
Positioning on Energy Transition: ZF has mostly negative positioning on the energy transition and appears to generally support a long-term role for internal combustion engines (ICE). In May 2021 comments on the EU’s CO2 emissions for cars and vans - revision of performance standards, the company supported a long term role for ICE powered vehicles and expressed support for regulations that accommodate alternative fuels. The company opposed an effective phase out date of 2035 for the sale of ICE-powered cars and vans in the EU in statements appearing in Südwestrundfunk (SWR) in June 2022. The company made similar comments in September 2020 comments on the EU’s Evaluation of the 2011 White Paper on Transport, again appearing to advocate for regulations that would accommodate a long-term role for ICE engines. However, in these comments, ZF also advocated for increased investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The company also appeared to generally support the electrification of the automotive sector in an article on its corporate website accessed March 2023.
Industry Association Governance: ZF discloses its industry association memberships in annual reports, but does not disclose the industry association's climate policy positions or ZF’s policies for dealing with cases of misalignment. ZF is a member of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), which has negative policy engagement and has consistently opposed against a 2035 zero-emissions target in the EU.