Current State and Best Practices on the Way to Zero Emission in the Manufacturing Industry: An Empirical Survey in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland Region

While the pervasive consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, recent political and military conflicts underscore the urgent need for transformation to a sustainable and resilient economy. As a result, a rising number of companies are integrating environmental management into their corporate strategy including dedicated emission reduction/mitigation objectives and corresponding measures. However, the current emission intensity in the industrial landscape is characterized by strong heterogeneity. Furthermore, there is a perceived need for information regarding potentials, best practices, and innovative measures to reduce corporate greenhouse gas emissions. This paper investigates the current status of the manufacturing industry in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland region regarding its emission intensity based on an empirical survey with 186 participants. It aims to serve as a benchmark for other regions as well as for companies from 19 analyzed industrial sectors. The results of the empirical survey suggest that the industry sets ambitious goals. However, around 41 % of the companies surveyed invest low to medium efforts to achieve these ambitious goals and often require external support. In this article, more than 116 best practices for reducing the emission intensity of companies are presented and evaluated, providing a guideline for implementing measures to achieve the set targets.