Siemens Gamesa puts decarbonization, recyclability and technological education at heart of ambitious new sustainability strategy

Sustainability can only be addressed through long-term solid commitment. Siemens Gamesa strives to operate as an environmentally sustainable and responsible business to better serve all its stakeholders, from investors to customers and communities. The company has raised the bar, launching today an ambitious Sustainability Vision towards 2040 to ensure its contribution has the most significant impact on the future.

“At the heart of everything we do is a deep desire to improve our world through the provision of clean energy that will help to decarbonize the energy supply and tackle the threat of climate change. That purpose doesn´t just end with the provision of wind energy, however, and we are determined to take action across all our activities that will have a positive effect on the environment, our company, and society. Pushing the boundaries of sustainability is an important pledge to lead change now but also for the generations to come”, said Andreas Nauen, CEO of Siemens Gamesa.

Among the numerous projects and initiatives, the plan outlines a way to help achieve a decarbonized economy with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2040, including emissions produced by the company’s whole value chain. Previously, the net-zero target was 2050.

To this end, the company will pursue opportunities to achieve a carbon intensity rate of zero-emissions per MW installed without any offset compensation measures. Some of the main actions will be replacing all new and existing heating and cooling systems with zero carbon alternatives, and self-generation in the wind farms and factories.

“We are committed to embedding sustainability into the entire lifecycle of our operations and our corporate vision. With this plan we continue to be a frontrunner, building on our existing sustainability achievements and effectively demonstrating how our business is working to create a better future”, Gregorio Acero, Head of Quality and HSE of Siemens Gamesa.

The new targets reinforce Siemens Gamesa’s sustainability leadership by adding to several major decarbonization successes over the last months. Specifically, Siemens Gamesa achieved carbon neutrality and verified its climate targets by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), becoming the first renewable energy manufacturer to do so. Additionally, the company has switched to being powered 100% by electricity from renewable sources.

Commitment to the circular economy

The wind industry is still relatively young and is aware of its responsibility of finding a sustainable way to deal with wind turbine components at the end of their life cycle. Most of the components of a wind turbine can already be recycled today, but wind turbine blades, specifically, do represent a challenge due to the materials used and their complex composition.

The business actively promotes the creation of a circular economy by identifying opportunities for large-scale product recycling, making turbine materials more sustainable and improving both waste and resource efficiency. To this end, the company announces an ambitious goal to redesign all its turbines to ensure a 100% recyclable turbine marketed by 2040 and fully recyclable blades by 2030. This step marks a milestone towards a fully recyclable wind turbine value chain.

Generating a real impact in the company as well as in society

Siemens Gamesa is fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To this end, the company has set ambitious targets for gender equality pledging to increase the female representation in the workforce as well as in executive management to 30% by 2040.

The company focusses its social actions on actively reducing poverty in communities, fighting climate change, and promoting technological education in line with the future needs of society. These are compatible with the company’s goal of aligning its focus to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Find out more details in our new Social Commitment platform.

To this end, Siemens Gamesa manages its SGRE Impact initiative that encourages the company’s employees to promote causes they’re passionate about, mobilizes funding, and encourages volunteers to participate in these projects. The goal is to effect positive change in the local communities where we are present.

In order to fight climate change and build a more sustainable model, it is essential that we have enough trained professionals in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics). Therefore, the company will continue promoting initiatives in schools and universities such as its videogame Planet Rescuers to promote STEM education with Minecraft Education Edition, and Universities for Sustainability where we challenge students worldwide to think and find solutions to fight climate change through innovation.