Big Tech
One of Tech’s Cleanest Companies Is Making Tools for Coal Mines and Oil Drills
An activist battles Autodesk to stop selling its products to fossil fuel companies
A portrait of Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost created with coal ink in front of a mine in Germany.
Source: Joanie LemercierThis article is for subscribers only.
Autodesk Inc. is proud of its bona fides as a clean company – it reports dwindling emissions and invests millions in technology aimed at improving the environment.
There’s one hitch: its software is used to design and operate machinery for the biggest coal mine complex in Europe. Production at the pits, owned by German energy giant RWE AG, is being expanded ahead of a 2030 phase-out of the highly polluting energy source. Climate activist Greta Thurnberg was detained there in January at a protest.