Empowering individuals
We’re building products to give you the information you need to make the more sustainable choice, the easier choice.
Your everyday
Back in 2020, we announced our goal to help one billion users make more sustainable choices through our products by 2022. We’re pleased to share that we reached that goal in 2022 and again in 2023 by offering sustainability features like fuel-efficient routing in Google Maps and more transportation options in Search, such as train routes.1
Product features
Google MapsFuel-efficient routing
Related resources
New ways we’re helping reduce transportation and energy emissions
You can drive drive more sustainably and save money with Google Maps
Did you know?
As of the end of 2023, fuel-efficient routing is estimated to have helped enable more than 2.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions reductions since the feature launched—equivalent to taking approximately 650,000 fuel-based cars off the road for a year.1
Global searches for “how to save fuel when driving” increased +55% from 2022 to 2023.2
1 Google uses an AI prediction model to estimate the expected fuel or energy consumption for each route option when users request driving directions. We identify the route that we predict will consume the least amount of fuel or energy. If this route is not already the fastest one and it offers meaningful energy and fuel savings with only a small increase in driving time, we recommend it to the user. To calculate enabled emissions reductions, we tally the fuel usage from the chosen fuel-efficient routes and subtract it from the predicted fuel consumption that would have occurred on the fastest route without fuel-efficient routing and apply adjustments for factors such as: CO2e factors, fleet mix factors, well-to-wheels factors, and powertrain mismatch factors. We then input the estimated prevented emissions into the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator to calculate equivalent cars off the road for a year. The cumulative figure covers estimated emissions prevented after fuel-efficient routing was launched, from October 2021 through December 2023, while the annual figure covers estimated emissions prevented from January 2023 through December 2023. Enabled emissions reductions estimates include inherent uncertainty due to factors that include the lack of primary data and precise information about real-world actions and their effects. These factors contribute to a range of possible outcomes, within which we report a central value.
2 Based on Google Trends data as of April 2024 when comparing global Google Search interest in 2023 to that of 2022.
Product features
Google MapsLow emission zone alerts
Related resources
Redefining what a map can be with new information and AI
Did you know?
Low emission zone alerts are available in more than 25 cities, with more coming soon.
Product features
Google MapsBike and scooter sharing
Related resources
How we built Immersive View for routes on Maps
7 Maps and Lens features to use on your next trip
Did you know?
Global searches for “ebikes” have more than doubled over the past 5 years.1
1 Based on Google Trends data as of April 2024 when comparing global Google Search interest from 2019 to 2024 to that of 2014 to 2019.
Product features
Google MapsMass transit options
Related resources
You can drive more sustainably and save money with Google Maps
New ways we’re helping reduce transportation and energy emissions
Did you know?
Google Maps provides, on average, more than 3 billion kilometers (1.86 billion miles) of public transit results per day. By tapping on the Google Maps transit icon, individuals can get directions to their destination by bus, train, subway, and even ferry.1
Product features
Google MapsEV charging
Related resources
New ways to power up your electric vehicle adventures with Google Maps
Electric vehicle charging stations are now on the Waze map
Did you know?
Global searches for “electric vehicles” have more than doubled over the past two years.2
Product features
Google MapsGlanceable directions
Related resources
New ways AI is making Maps more immersive
How we built Immersive View for routes on Maps
Did you know?
If we all walk or bike for half of our trips of under a mile, we would save 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. That’s like taking 400,000 cars off the road in the U.S. each year, according to the EPA.
Product features
TravelClimate-friendlier options for your stay
Related resources
Building a sustainable future for travel
Did you know?
Sustainable accommodations reduce their environmental impact by using less energy and water, cutting down their waste, or sourcing their supplies in climate-friendly ways.
Product features
Google ShoppingShop for more efficient appliances
Related resources
Giving you more sustainable choices with Google
New ways we’re helping reduce transportation and energy emissions
Did you know?
Compared to a furnace, a heat pump can lower your electricity use for heating by about 50%.
An Energy Star–certified dryer uses 20% less energy than standard models.
Product features
Google ShoppingShop pre-owned apparel on Google
Related Resources
7 ways we’re helping to reduce plastic pollution
New ways to make more sustainable choices
Did you know?
Clothing is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, so clothing choices have a big impact on reducing both waste and emissions.
Global searches for “thrifting” more than doubled over the past 3 years,1 reaching an all time high in 2023.2
Product features
Google SearchUnderstand your car-buying choices
New ways we’re helping reduce transportation and energy emissions
Did you know?
Global search interest in “sustainable transport” reached an all time high in 2023.1
We can significantly reduce pollution by switching to EVs. Transportation accounts for one-fifth of global carbon emissions, and almost half of these come from gas-powered passenger vehicles.
Product features
Google SearchExtreme heat alerts
Related resources
How we’re using AI to combat floods, wildfires, and extreme heat
It’s a hot one: How heat waves have trended over time
Did you know?
Every year, extreme heat kills nearly 500,000 people, and heat-related deaths are on the rise.
Searches for “heat wave” and “heat exhaustion” spiked the week of July 16, 2023—the warmest July ever recorded.1
Product features
Google SearchFind nearby recycling points
Related resources
The power of recycling: Turning searches into store visits
How Lucy & Yak and Duracell are helping U.K. shoppers make more sustainable choices
Did you know?
Global searches for recycling are the highest of any sustainable living action as of April 2024.1
Product features
TravelMore sustainable choices when you travel
Related resources
How AI is helping airlines mitigate the climate impact of contrails
Did you know?
71% of surveyed travelers want to make more sustainable choices, according to a 2022 Booking.com survey.
Consider replacing shorter flights with a train or bus ride. Over a similar distance, trains and buses produce less emissions than planes because they burn less fuel.
Product features
Google NestNest thermostats
Related resources
Tips to save even more with your Nest thermostat
A look at how we’re building more sustainable hardware
Did you know?
The average U.S. household in a single-family home spends about 53% of its energy-related expenditures on heating and cooling, which adds up to about $92 billion per year nationwide.
Product features
Google SearchEnergy-saving tips for Europe
Related resources
Our progress in stewarding clean energy in Europe