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“goTOzero” is our mission statement for environmental matters. The Volkswagen Group is aiming to be a world's leading provider of sustainable mobility and a role model for the protection of our environment. To achieve this, we systematically and verifiably reduce the environmental impacts along the life cycle of our products and services. Compliance with environmental regulations, standards and voluntary commitments is a basic prerequisite for our actions.
The “Environmental Mission Statement” of Volkswagen Group defines the prioritized action areas of our environmental work – namely: protect climate, conserve resources, preserve ecosystems, and ensure environmental compliance.
Protect Climate
· We are committed to the Paris Agreement and aim for a 1.5°C ambition level.
· We consequently focus on the electrification of our products, the decarbonization of our entire value chain, and the expansion of renewable energy generation to supply our sites and customers.
· By 2050 at the latest, we want to be a net CO2 neutral company.
Conserve Resources
· By using recycled materials and renewable resources, we reduce our need for primary raw materials.
· We improve our energy and resource efficiency and establish cycles for materials and water.
· Together with our business partners, we reduce the use of natural resources along our supply chain.
Preserve Ecosystems
· We reduce harmful emissions into air, soil and water.
· We reduce the impacts of our business activities on biodiversity and ecosystem services and promote projects to preserve them.
Ensure Environmental Compliance
· We want to be a role model for a modern, transparent, and successful company in terms of integrity and compliance.
· We operate effective environmental compliance management systems to identify and manage environmental risks and opportunities along the life cycle of our mobility solutions.
· We have an open dialogue with our stakeholders and consider their expectations in our decisions.
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Our “VCIC Environmental Policy Statement” sets out our commitment to become an environmental role model. We develop, produce and distribute motor vehicles and mobility services. In this role, we have committed to shaping mobility for current and future generations and becoming a role model for the protection of our environment.
We comply with legal and regulatory requirements as well as company standards and targets. We implement Environmental Compliance Management Systems to ensure that environmental compliance obligations are understood and achieved in our business operations. Environmental fraud and misconduct will be treated as a severe compliance violation. Compliance with the VCIC Environmental Policy Statement and with Group environmental requirements will be annually evaluated and reported to the Boards of Management at VCIC and Volkswagen Group.
To reduce our environmental footprint, we use our global innovative capacity to address environmental challenges throughout all life cycle stages of our mobility offers. Our mobility innovations will also help our customers to reduce their environmental footprint while simultaneously securing our business competitiveness and employment.
The full VCIC Environmental Policy Statement can be downloaded here.
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Protect Climate
The Volkswagen Group wants to become a net carbon-neutral company by 2050. We have set an intermediate goal for ourselves along the way: by 2030, Volkswagen Group wants to reduce the carbon footprint of its passenger cars and light commercial vehicles by 30% per vehicle (compared with 2018). We want to achieve this goal purely through our electric offensive, reduction measures and switching to renewable energies.
Volkswagen Group Decarbonization Roadmap
Production: Production entities in China are reducing carbon emissions actively by improving energy efficiency, deploying renewable energy generation facilities and outsourcing renewable energy. By 2030, Volkswagen Group China aims to further reduce energy consumption by 16% compared to 2018 levels. The installed capacity and power generation of the production entities in China are leading within the Volkswagen Group. Volkswagen and its joint ventures plan to convert the electricity consumed by production sites in China to renewable and clean energy by 2030.
Supply Chain: Together with our partners, we are achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030 for 1st suppliers in China.
Use Phase: Our vision is to integrate every aspect of innovation, whether in our broad charging portfolio or green energy solutions, to create an efficient and distinct charging consumer experience. For home charging, we are working closely with Chinese partners on intensive research to pilot sequential charging and vehicle-grid-interaction. This will realize more cost-effective and low-carbon charging solutions for our customers while supporting grid safety and stability. In the field of public charging, together with CAMS, Volkswagen Group China’s charging joint venture, we plan to build over 17,000 charging points by 2025. CAMS’s first intelligent photovoltaic station is to be commissioned in the local market soon. It will integrate functions of photovoltaic power generation, power storage, and super charging piles to enrich the power source.
Visit the resources below to learn more about how we take actions on protecting climate:
Focus Topics | Volkswagen Group (volkswagen-group.com)
Volkswagen Planet Better (volkswagen-planet-better.com)
Conserve Resources
The finite nature of natural resources and the social and environmental consequences of mining raw materials make the development of a circular economy key sustainability topics. The topic of the circular economy is also a core element of the “goTOzero” environmental mission statement. Based on this, Volkswagen Group intends to maximize resource efficiency for raw materials, energy and water to promote a circular economy.
We want to intensify our efforts for a transition to a loop-oriented and resource-conserving way of doing business even further in the future. To achieve this, we rely on alliances and the implementation of joint projects with various partners, such as suppliers, plant manufacturers, the recycling sector and universities.
Starting from the four angles of avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle, the Volkswagen Group's factories in China continue to reduce their environmental waste impacts. Meanwhile, Volkswagen Group is calling on all production entities in China to focus on energy management, such as waste heat utilization, optimizing basic energy consumption, digital energy management systems and other areas. The Group is also paying special attention to key energy-using facilities, exploring energy-saving potential and improving energy efficiency.
Preserve Ecosystems
The Volkswagen Group is working towards reducing waste through technological upgrades and management optimization continuously to reduce harmful emissions into the air, soil and water.
Based on the mission statement, Volkswagen Group China, together with its vehicle and component production entities, has set a goal of achieving "Zero Impact Factory" by 2050 along with a medium-term goal and action plan for 2030.
In 2022, Volkswagen Group announced its Biodiversity commitment. The Group has been working hard to enhance biodiversity in its plants and support biodiversity conservation projects. Meanwhile, all China plants have implemented various biodiversity conservation projects. For example, the employees and their families were encouraged to participate in planting activities and providing habitats for insects and birds in production sites. Such projects have promoted biodiversity in the surrounding area while further raising employee’s environmental awareness. These activities have also created a stronger sense of community among employees.
Ensure Environmental Compliance
The Volkswagen Group Environmental Compliance Management System (ECMS) was created and introduced by Volkswagen worldwide. This is a comprehensive, systematic and standardized management tool. Its basic structure and core concepts are based on the ISO 14001 standard and the internal policies and requirements of Volkswagen Group. Aligned with internationally recognized standards, ECMS further refines the detailed requirements to strengthen environmental compliance along the life cycle of our products and service.
ECMS helps companies to improve their environmental performance and ensure environmental compliance through "prevention, detection, action, improvement" in multiple dimensions accurately. The interlocking management processes facilitate the "closed loop" and "continuous improvement" mechanism of compliance management.
