Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing

In response to the climate crisis, companies are increasingly committed to lowering their emissions. Previous studies have investigated climate mitigation strategies in carbon-intensive industries. However, emissions from less carbon-intensive sectors must also be addressed to reach net-zero goals....

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Main Authors: Andreas Serino Olander, Lucas Albuquerque Wolf, Lena Moestam, Mélanie Despeisse
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Production and Manufacturing Research: An Open Access Journal
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21693277.2025.2514613
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author Andreas Serino Olander
Lucas Albuquerque Wolf
Lena Moestam
Mélanie Despeisse
author_facet Andreas Serino Olander
Lucas Albuquerque Wolf
Lena Moestam
Mélanie Despeisse
author_sort Andreas Serino Olander
collection DOAJ
description In response to the climate crisis, companies are increasingly committed to lowering their emissions. Previous studies have investigated climate mitigation strategies in carbon-intensive industries. However, emissions from less carbon-intensive sectors must also be addressed to reach net-zero goals. This study focuses on manufacturing operations and proposes a three-step approach to initiate industrial decarbonisation activities. Technological solutions across six strategies were investigated: fuel shift, electrification, carbon capture, process efficiency, technology substitution, and circularity. An in-depth case study at a multinational automotive manufacturing company was conducted with 16 semi-structured interviews to qualitatively evaluate technological solutions, highlighting implementation challenges from the case company’s perspective. While there is no universal set of priorities for decarbonisation, the proposed three-step approach can help companies organise their decarbonisation activities more effectively. Finally, we suggest further work to tackle current and emerging challenges potentially hindering decarbonisation efforts in less carbon-intensive sectors.
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spelling doaj-art-c77bbf5939e04e54b5b27c17fb190a302025-08-20T02:06:46ZengTaylor & Francis GroupProduction and Manufacturing Research: An Open Access Journal2169-32772025-12-0113110.1080/21693277.2025.2514613Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturingAndreas Serino Olander0Lucas Albuquerque Wolf1Lena Moestam2Mélanie Despeisse3Department of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment Quality & Engineering, Volvo Group Trucks Operations, Gothenburg, SwedenDepartment of Industrial and Materials Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, SwedenIn response to the climate crisis, companies are increasingly committed to lowering their emissions. Previous studies have investigated climate mitigation strategies in carbon-intensive industries. However, emissions from less carbon-intensive sectors must also be addressed to reach net-zero goals. This study focuses on manufacturing operations and proposes a three-step approach to initiate industrial decarbonisation activities. Technological solutions across six strategies were investigated: fuel shift, electrification, carbon capture, process efficiency, technology substitution, and circularity. An in-depth case study at a multinational automotive manufacturing company was conducted with 16 semi-structured interviews to qualitatively evaluate technological solutions, highlighting implementation challenges from the case company’s perspective. While there is no universal set of priorities for decarbonisation, the proposed three-step approach can help companies organise their decarbonisation activities more effectively. Finally, we suggest further work to tackle current and emerging challenges potentially hindering decarbonisation efforts in less carbon-intensive sectors.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21693277.2025.2514613Decarbonisationcarbon neutralClimate actionsustainable manufacturinggreenhouse gasSDG 13: Climate action
spellingShingle Andreas Serino Olander
Lucas Albuquerque Wolf
Lena Moestam
Mélanie Despeisse
Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
Production and Manufacturing Research: An Open Access Journal
Decarbonisation
carbon neutral
Climate action
sustainable manufacturing
greenhouse gas
SDG 13: Climate action
title Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
title_full Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
title_fullStr Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
title_full_unstemmed Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
title_short Decarbonisation of manufacturing operations: a case study in automotive manufacturing
title_sort decarbonisation of manufacturing operations a case study in automotive manufacturing
topic Decarbonisation
carbon neutral
Climate action
sustainable manufacturing
greenhouse gas
SDG 13: Climate action
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21693277.2025.2514613
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