Volkswagen uses Environmental Commendations to document the environmental progress achieved by its vehicles and technologies compared with predecessor or reference models. Our Environmental Commendations provide our customers, shareholders and other stakeholders inside and outside the company with information about how we are making our vehicles, components and production processes more environmentally compatible and what we have achieved in this respect.
Environmental Commendations are based on Life Cycle Assessments including detailed analyses of energy consumption, emissions and all the other environmental impacts caused by a specific Volkswagen model. Life Cycle Assessments not only cover the service life of a vehicle, i.e. the time it actually spends on the road, but its entire life cycle from production through use to disposal. The results may highlight the improvement in fuel economy compared with the predecessor model for example, and the resultant reduction in emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) over the vehicle's life. The Environmental Commendation for the Passat, for example, shows that the mid-range car with TSI engine and 7-speed DSG® emits some 22 percent less CO2 over its full life cycle than its predecessor.
The information given in an Environmental Commendation is verified by the independent technical inspectorate TÜV NORD, which then issues a certificate confirming that the underlying Life Cycle Assessment is based on reliable data, that the statements made are correct and that the method used to compile it complies with the requirements of ISO standards 14040 and 14044
In addition to the models and technologies which have been assessed, Environmental Commendations also present key information on Volkswagen's environmental activities including fuel-saving
BlueMotionTechnologies, our environmental management system, new recycling processes, fuel saving training or the Volkswagen Fuel and Powertrain Strategy.
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