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Sustainability

Removing the Finish Line

How the circular economy will reinvigorate the automotive industry

The automotive industry spawned a new wave of manufacturing in the twentieth century: assembly line innovation, lean manufacturing, robotics, automation, and safety. But times change, and so must the automotive industry. It is clear the traditional linear model is no longer viable.

Sustainability imperatives are pushing automakers to deliver net-zero strategies in their production and manufacturing processes and to electrify their parks. The industry already experienced multiple disruptions in its supply chains (e.g., semiconductor crisis) but the urgent need to produce batteries at scale is going to exacerbate those issues on material sourcing such as cobalt, lithium, or nickel. However, beyond carbon, resources represent another battle that deserves its own attention, especially as it becomes a matter of sovereignty. Fortunately, the circular economy is rapidly becoming the next standard for greater control of materials’ value chains.

But that’s not all.

By inserting end-of-life products into a new cycle, OEMs can prolong the value of products, materials, and resources. As such, circular economic principles add and preserve more value than traditional manufacturing models. OEMs have all the ingredients needed to succeed in this new era. But they must make broad changes to their operations, adopt new partnership models within and across industries, and act now to overtake their competition.

With our new Capgemini Invent publication, we enable you to remove the finish line and do just that.

Sustainability through a sector lens

Contact our experts

Sebastian Tschödrich

Vice President of CSS at Invent Germany
I have been working in automotive consulting for 14 years, with experience in Europe and China. Currently based in Munich, I am responsible for the global automotive consulting business and part of the global leadership team at Capgemini Invent.

Siegfried Adam

Director, Global Lead Sustainable Mobility, Capgemini Invent
Director for Automotive consulting and Global Lead for sustainable mobility in Capgemini Invent. He has been working with major automotive OEMs, suppliers, and cities on digitalizing and electrifying cars as well as in the shared mobility space for more than 10 years.

Clément Chenut

Circular Economy Services Leader
Part of Capgemini’s Sustainability Accelerator, set up to increase awareness of sustainability issues and develop practical solutions for clients, my focus is to promote and accelerate the adoption of circular economy business models. With Capgemini colleagues, we’ve developed a suite of CE services from strategy to digital/engineering solutions. These services guide clients from a linear economy that can destroy value, to a circular economy that preserves value – by minimizing the use of raw materials and resources, and reducing the production of waste. I’ve also led digital transformation programs, mainly in banking and transport, and was part of the Capgemini’s 5G Lab team, set up to help clients strategize, build and monetize the advantages of 5G.

Philipp Kolbeck

Senior Consultant & Chief of Staff at Capgemini Invent
I specialize in customer experience, sales & marketing transformation, service innovation, and project management & design. I focus on applying the latest concepts and strategies from these fields in automotive, mobility, energy & utilities and related industries.