# How Do German Manufacturers React to the Increasing Societal Pressure for Decarbonisation?
## 3 Results
### Decarbonisation: Yes! But When?  
With the carbon countdown running and frequent statements that faster action is required, some companies' announcements of a 2050 target date, or 2040 (after coal-fired power plants have closed in 2038), appear to fall out of time and may allow us to distinguish between ambitious and marketing pledges, following the statement made by Bosch, mid-2019, that becoming net carbon neutral by 2020 \"can be done. Here and Now\" [34]. We therefore decided to incorporate the question by when the net-zero carbon state is aimed to be achieved, giving legislators a clear picture of what the private sector's level of ambition is, but also what support action (e.g., the provision of sufficient renewables) is needed. EEIs first data collection (2020) aims to help quantify the latter.  
Of the 489 companies that aim to reach net carbon neutrality, two thirds have this goal for 2025 already, surpassing 90% by 2030 and 96% by 2035. This calls on policy makers to shape a series of five-year plans to facilitate this, rather than a strategy for 2050 with an interim stop in 2030, as it appears that more than half the intended decarbonisation action until 2050 is scheduled for the next five years! (cf. Figure 5). Only one company aims to meet the goal later than 2050.  
Looking at the ambition per **company size**, 71% of micro companies that strive for carbon neutrality plan to have reached this goal by 2025 (or earlier), 93% 5 years later, and 97% by 2035. Fairly similar for medium-sized companies, the percentage figures are 70%, 90%, and 98% for these milestones, whereas small companies aim a slightly lower, with 66%, 85%, and 94% of companies planning to achieve decarbonisation by these dates. Of the large companies participating in this question, this is 61% by 2025, 94% by 2030, and 99% by 2035.  
From an **energy intensity** perspective, 64% of the non-energy intensive companies plan to have reached net carbon neutrality by 2025, 88% by 2030, and 96% by 2035; the ambition rises looking at less energy intensive companies with targets of 68%, and 92% and 98% of them having succeeded by then. Moderately energy intensive companies aim for 74%, 93%, and 99% decarbonisation by the target years. Only energy intensive companies fall back to the level of non-energy intensive companies: 64% in 2025, 90% in 2030, and 97% 2035.  
Looking at the ten **sectors** comprised of at least 20 companies aiming to become net carbon neutral by a specific target date, the \"motor vehicle\" and \"wood and wood products\" sectors (80%) are ahead for the first milestone in 2025, with the \"chemical industry\" (56%), \"basic metals\", and \"machinery and equipment\" (59% each) falling behind. By 2030, all participating companies of the \"motor vehicle\" sector plan to have achieved the goal, with 96% of the \"wood\" and \"paper\" sectors close behind, and 81% of the \"rubber and plastics\" sector following below the average for that milestone. By 2035, \"leather\", \"electrical equipment\", and \"paper and paper products\" will have caught up to the automotive sector and, thus, have reached carbon neutrality, whilst the \"chemical\" sector will have achieved 91%.  
Whether the 489 companies are representative of the level of ambition of their peers, and whether they will succeed in the time planned, is a different question. So are the challenges in their path.