GM’s retired Chief Sustainability Officer Kristen Siemen shares proudest moments

Kristen Siemen, who was appointed as General Motors (GM)’s first Chief Sustainability Officer in 2021 and retired from the firm on November 1, tells CSO Futures about the work she is most proud of.

Siemen has been substituted by Global Sustainability Strategies Director Kathi Walker as interim CSO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.

Speaking to CSO Futures about her proudest moments, she said: “There are many individual milestones and accomplishments to be proud of, from securing 100% renewable energy for our US sites and facilities, to innovative climate tech investments that will help accelerate our decarbonisation efforts, but all of this is the result of incredible collaborations inside and outside the company to find creative ways to enable a more sustainable future for everyone.”

GM’s sustainability progress under Siemen’s leadership

During Siemen’s tenure as Chief Sustainability Officer, she led the efforts to set and validate the engineering firm’s first science-based targets to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 72% and Scope 3 emissions from the use of its light duty vehicles by 51% per vehicle kilometre – both by 2035 and from a 2018 base year. 

So far, GM, which employs more than 150,000 people around the world, has reduced operational (Scope 1 and 2) emissions by around 37%, largely by increasing the use of renewable electricity to power operations. 

As mentioned by Siemen, the company sources 100% of its US power needs from renewable energy – and on a global basis, that percentage went from 10% in 2018 to 39% in 2023.

“Weaving our sustainability strategy throughout the company, and working with the private and public sector to share our lessons learned and work through challenges together, was an incredible honour,” the former CSO added.

Scope 3 emissions stagnate

Scope 3 emissions intensity, however, has largely stagnated since GM’s baseline: after two years of increases, emissions per vehicle went back to 2018 levels last year – with the company blaming increased demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for its slow progress.

“Our primary approach to reducing our reported global emissions footprint is through the gradual replacement of traditional ICE vehicles with EVs. Slower reduction in ICE volumes, based on customer demand, impacts emissions intensity progress. In the interim, as we work to transition to EVs, deploying plug-in hybrid technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the emissions reduction benefits of EVs as the communities where we sell our vehicles continue to build out charging infrastructure,” the company said in its 2023 sustainability report.

In July, the carmaker was fined US$145.8 million by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for underreporting its vehicle emissions.