Nuro is first AV company to formalize an ESG program and publicly share carbon footprint data.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – In honor of Earth Day, leading autonomous vehicle company Nuro today published an industry-first ESG Report, which outlines specific, tangible actions the company has undertaken to create a sustainable organization in its first five years. The report also presents a summary of how Nuro will approach and measure environmental, social, and governance issues across the organization to drive forward its mission of helping goods move more sustainably through the world.
Nuro’s updated 2021 ESG Report offers insight and objectives across eleven material topics within three core subject areas: Governance, Sustainable Products, and People. Importantly, each section offers material and insight into Nuro’s ESG practices, followed by key metrics so that stakeholders can follow the company’s performance and align efforts for even greater impact. Nuro is the first AV company to formalize an ESG program, which is overseen by the organization’s Board of Directors and senior management and is also the first to proactively publish carbon footprint and diversity data.
The company unveiled its ESG report on Earth Day to place specific focus on its practices, measurement, and programs for sustainability. From presenting detail into the company’s carbon footprint impact to offering detail into how Nuro’s zero-occupant electric delivery vehicles can provide a tangible answer to the promise of greener goods delivery, the report offers an industry-first ESG blueprint to fuel discussion and action across the mobility sector.
Sustainability findings within the report include:
- The Risk of Not Prioritizing Sustainability: According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector is the number one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the pollution it causes increases the prevalence of life-threatening childhood asthma, disproportionately affecting communities of color. Nuro believes the future of transportation must be zero emissions.
- Green Opportunities of AV Delivery: Previously, the company commissioned an investigation by Steer, a firm of transportation experts, which analyzed the potential impacts of AV delivery services over a decade, 2025-35. The report projected that autonomous services like Nuro would protect the environment by avoiding up to 407M tons of CO2 – a number equivalent to the residential emissions over the last decade from the four largest cities in the US. Steer also concluded AV solutions hold the potential to create and sustain more than 3 million green jobs, like new autonomous fleet technicians, and improve safety by avoiding hundreds of thousands of serious crashes and injuries.
- Balancing Sustainability with Scale: To deliver on sustainability, it must also be scalable. And while Nuro’s carbon footprint is modest today, it is committed to finding ways to reduce its impact as it continues to scale. As of January 2022, Nuro is using 100% renewable electricity from wind farms in Texas to power both its battery-electric fleet and its own physical footprint nationwide. Furthermore, as states invest in building electrification infrastructure, Nuro is working with utilities, agencies and experts to inform its own plans around electrification infrastructure.
“Autonomous delivery services present a transformational opportunity to improve the environment, and Nuro is committed to setting ambitious goals to promote sustainability across the industry and in our own company,” said Dave Ferguson, Nuro co-founder and president. “The transportation sector is faced with the urgent challenge of creating a future of mobility with zero emissions, and we believe it’s our responsibility to lead by example and limit our carbon footprint as we continue to grow. By publishing this report and taking tangible action on these priorities to be a positive force for the environment, we hope to earn the trust of the communities in which we operate.”
While there is significant ESG progress to be made across the industry and globe, Nuro believes there is also considerable opportunity on the horizon. Nuro aims to improve each year and be transparent by publishing its progress on these commitments.