ZF is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This applies not only to ZF itself and its own production activities (Scope 1 and 2), but also includes emissions across the entire value chain (Scope 3). Further details and progress are outlined in the Sustainability Report.

ZF is working to advance the transition from linear value creation models to more circular approaches in selected product areas. To support this, opportunities for repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling are already taken into account during the product development process.

The use of digital twins in product development is still relatively new. Digital twins can accelerate development processes by enabling virtual testing and optimisation. Where this reduces the need for physical prototypes and tests, it may also lower the associated material use, energy consumption and waste generation.

To reduce pollutant emissions in manufacturing and assembly, ZF is pursuing several approaches:

On the one hand, the company uses low-emission materials and energy from renewable sources; on the other hand, ZF invests in modern production buildings and manufacturing facilities with the lowest possible energy consumption.

In terms of energy use, the Group has already reached an important milestone: Since 2025, all ZF sites worldwide have been supplied excl

To reduce emissions in manufacturing and assembly, ZF is pursuing several approaches: the company relies on materials with a demonstrably lower CO₂e footprint, energy from renewable sources, and energy-efficient production buildings and facilities.

usively with electricity from renewable sources. By the end of 2025, the company has also succeeded in reducing its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 85 percent compared to 2019 – five years earlier than planned.

In its production operations, ZF is working to increase the use of materials with a lower product carbon footprint than defined reference materials and to raise the share of recycled materials. This includes, for example, steel produced using processes in which hydrogen replaces a portion of the fossil-based reducing agents. ZF’s Board of Management has reaffirmed the company’s recycled-material targets. The material categories covered by these targets account for more than 95 percent of ZF’s production-material volume. This percentage describes the scope of the targets, not the current recycled-material share. Increasing the use of recycled materials can reduce the demand for primary raw materials where recycled materials replace functionally equivalent primary materials.

These are just a few examples of ZF’s activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by its own operations.

The desire for individual mobility is as old as the automobile itself. ZF develops technologies designed to improve energy efficiency in a range of mobility applications.

ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission is designed to support fuel-efficient operation as part of the overall vehicle powertrain. When integrated into a plug-in hybrid configuration, electric driving is possible for certain journeys. The ZF eDrive Platform SELECT provides a modular system for fully electric powertrains. ZF is also developing range-extender systems designed to extend driving range beyond the range available from the battery alone. The TherMas thermal-management system is designed to manage battery and cabin temperatures efficiently and can help preserve electric driving range, particularly under low-temperature operating conditions. Actual results depend on the specific vehicle configuration and use case.

The market for electric trucks will gain momentum in 2026. Key drivers are legislators worldwide. Under EU law, for example, truck manufacturers in Europe must reduce emissions from new trucks by 45 percent by 2030 and by 90 percent by 2040, compared with 2019 CO₂ levels. Trailer manufacturers must also improve emissions values by ten percent by 2030.

Challenges remain in electrifying long haul truck fleets with battery electric vehicles. China is clearly leading in this area. The still incomplete fast charging infrastructure (Megawatt Charging System, MCS) for heavy trucks favors alternative solutions such as hydrogen combustion engines, fuel cells, and hybrid technologies.

To advance decarbonization in trucks through electrification, ZF has developed a modular system with various electric drivetrains that are efficient, robust, and cost effective. For trucks with conventionally designed drivetrains, the electric central drive CeTrax 2 is of particular interest. Its variants for light to heavy trucks now form a family of their own.

The CeTrax solutions are complemented by three systems of the electric axle AxTrax 2. While the CeTrax 2 central drive powers a conventional rear axle via a drive shaft, the AxTrax 2 integrates electric motors and transmissions directly into the axle.

In addition to fully electric drivetrains for trucks across different weight classes, ZF offers the TraXon 2 automated manual transmission in the electrified TraXon 2 Hybrid version. Depending on the vehicle configuration and operating profile, the hybrid system can help reduce fuel consumption and the associated operational CO₂ emissions.

Electric buses play a central role in the global transport transition. They are locally emission free and quieter than diesel buses. According to a 2025 international study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), more than 50 percent of all public transport journeys worldwide are made by bus.

Based on the defined operating and energy-supply assumptions, an electric bus can result in lower annual operational greenhouse gas emissions than a functionally comparable diesel bus. In the assessed best-case scenario, the calculated difference was up to 60 metric tons of CO₂e per year. The result depends in particular on annual mileage, vehicle energy consumption, route profile and the greenhouse gas intensity of the electricity used. City buses in particular are pioneers of commercial vehicle electrification. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than 70,000 electric buses were sold worldwide in 2024, driven mainly by China and strong growth in Europe.

ZF draws on its modular e drive kit for commercial vehicles, the result of more than 30 years of experience. As early as 1994, ZF presented its first low floor electric axle for buses. Multiple generations later, this technology has evolved into the AxTrax 2 LF electric portal axle.

Depending on requirements and vehicle type, customers can choose from multiple AxTrax 2 electric axle drives or CeTrax 2 central drives. Among all commercial vehicle types, electrification and decarbonization are most advanced in city buses. Intercity and coach buses, with their significantly longer ranges, remain more challenging. Here, plug in hybrid drivetrains act as an important bridging technology.

The commitment to decarbonization arises, among other things, from the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. In it, the signatories of 197 states declare their intention to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

According to the European Commission, an onshore wind turbine can, within less than one year of operation, avoid an amount of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those generated over its life cycle. Over its remaining service life, averaging around 25 years, it generates electricity without combustion-related emissions at the point of generation.

ZF Group has pooled both the design and production as well as services related to wind turbines within its business unit ZF Wind Power. With nearly half a century of activity in the wind business, this gives ZF vast knowledge in technology and markets, benefiting customers worldwide. Whether for onshore or offshore applications, the Group now supplies gearbox solutions and services for wind turbines with capacities of up to 15 megawatts.