America's Biggest Greenhouse Gas Polluter Is Working to Go Green

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation industry accounts for 28 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the largest percentage of any industry. Whether they make airplanes, cars, tractors or trains, manufacturers are working to minimize their carbon impact and that of their products.

Newsweek partnered with Plant-A Insights Group and GIST Impact to launch a ranking of America’s Greenest Companies 2025, recognizing companies committed to reducing their environmental impact in key areas like greenhouse gas emissions, water management and waste reduction. Transportation industry leaders, including Boeing, John Deere, Cognizant Technology Solutions, BorgWarner and CSX, made the list.

Beyond the ranking, Newsweek dove into the latest sustainability reports issued by some of the highest-rated transportation companies to see how they’re tackling efforts to green their businesses and learn about the latest trends in the industry.

Supporting Sustainability Goals of Brands They Supply

The airline industry is actively adapting to a greener business environment. A key component of that is the use of airplane-specific biofuels, called Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The fuel type is created using renewable or waste products and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Boeing will be building airplanes that are 100 percent SAF-compatible by 2030. Boeing will build airplanes that are 100 percent SAF-compatible by 2030. That year is significant as it’s the self-imposed deadline Delta Air Lines has set to ensure 10 percent of its fuel is SAF. Both Delta and United Airlines have set the goal of having zero-emissions fleets by 2050. Currently, just 0.1 percent of United’s overall fuel used is SAF.

Boeing, Airbus, Dassault Aviation, GE Aerospace, RTX’s Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Safran are part of the International Aerospace Environmental Group’s Working Group 13 (WG13), a group assigned to study the impact of 100-percent use of SAFs on aviation systems.

With Boeing leading the group, WG13 will coordinate SAF testing efforts, recommend best practices and study the switchover to 100 percent SAF, working with key stakeholders like airports and fuel suppliers to investigate what support is necessary as the industry moves toward a zero-emissions future.

Developing Greener Products

For some companies, having more sustainable product manufacturing processes isn’t enough. They are going further, developing products that make the world around them more sustainable as well.

While physical products are still vital parts of John Deere’s business, the company’s technology footprint has been growing over the last decade, amounting to everything from autonomous drive systems for tractors in the fields to precision grading technology utilized to build roadways of the future.

A recent John Deere collaboration with Sonoma County Winegrowers trialed Smart Apply, a precision spray technology that utilizes precision data to allow farmers to more precisely apply chemicals and water, greatly reducing chemical runoff, airborne drift and water waste.

The partnership results showed cost savings related to fewer materials used and efficiency gains.

Using Technology to Find Areas of Potential Impact

Cognizant Technology Solutions has a vast portfolio of products. Among them are sustainability advisory services and solutions, a tailor-made approach to helping businesses achieve their green goals.

The company’s digital stack includes machine learning, data mining, digital twins and robotic automation. This makes a company’s business operations more easily trackable, leading to the discovery of opportunities for efficiencies and greening throughout all aspects of the business environment, including product cycles and supply chains.

In the transportation industry, Cognizant’s technology can be used to assist fleet operators. Through the company’s artificial intelligence-enabled data and analytics digital footprint, those operators can manage fleet use to enable fleet decarbonization.

Investing in Green Transportation Solutions of the Future

One of the auto industry’s top Tier 1 suppliers, BorgWarner, has shifted its business portfolio toward eco-friendly transportation solutions of the future. The company’s 2024 Sustainability Report lays out the goal of maintaining the majority of its revenue from electric vehicle and emissions-reducing products.

While the supplier currently offers a number of internal combustion powertrain-related products, including turbochargers, all-wheel drive units, engine control units and intakes, it is also developing and manufacturing inverters, thermal management systems, electric drive motors and battery systems that are used in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles.

Driving the company’s goal toward being a carbon neutral company by 2035 is a portfolio of products in development that further that agenda. For example, next-generation battery packs are expected to be more efficient and have longer lives.

The company is also investing in its workforce. BorgWarner’s “Power to Evolve” program retrains its engineers who have worked on internal combustion engine components to work on electrified vehicle products like inverters, batteries and electric motors.

Testing New, Cleaner Fuel Solutions

In April 2024, CSX debuted its first hydrogen-powered locomotive, just one year after it announced it would collaborate with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on the technology. CSX adapted an existing diesel locomotive to run the hydrogen fuel cell technology using a conversion kit developed by CPKC.

Ultimately, CSX plans to build 20 of the units and deploy them concurrently for a one-year period, collecting data that can be analyzed to determine the feasibility of the fuel for widespread use.

CSX isn’t alone. Sierra Northern Railway recently completed its first successful test of a hydrogen-powered switcher and plans to continue testing the technology through the end of 2027.

Unlike diesel-powered units, hydrogen fuel cell-powered transportation emits only water vapor.