Mobility and Sustainability.

"The company is responsible for the continuous improvement of the environmental compatibility of its products and the reduction of the demands made of natural resources."
(from the Preamble to the Volkswagen Environmental Policy)

Only if environmental protection is a matter of course in the early phase of product development can the company's own ambitious demands - formulated in the Preamble to the Volkswagen Environmental Policy - be adhered to. Technical Development (TE) in Wolfsburg set a clear course with another successful recertification according to DIN EN ISO 14001 in September 2005, thus underlining Volkswagen's international pioneering role.

Volkswagen was the first car manufacturer to apply DIN EN ISO 14001 when the standard was still a draft. Furthermore, in 2002 the seven environmental goals of TE were revised and adopted. Their wording was adapted to the amended laws and voluntary commitments entered into in comparison to the seven goals originally adopted in 1996. They were revised again in 2007 and are now valid until the end of Decembre 2010.

Environmental Objectives of the Technical Development department of the Volkswagen brand

To attain the highest possible environmental objectives, the Technical Development department is intensifying the continuous improvement of Volkswagen products in respect of environmental compatibility and resource conservation. Our activities and processes are designed for sustainability and to ease the load on the environment. In this way we aim to live up to our responsibilities towards our customers, society and the environment.

In line with this approach, we have derived the following objectives:

1. Climate protection

• reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• reduce fuel consumption in the driving cycle and over the vehicle’s service life with the customer
• be fuel-efficiency leader in each class of vehicle
• support fuel-efficient styles of driving
• contribute to/assess eco-compatible traffic management measures

2. Resource conservation

•  improve resource efficiency
• pursue best possible recyclability and identification of the materials used
• use renewable and secondary raw materials
• develop and make available alternative powertrain technologies
• enable the use of alternative fuels

3. Healthcare

•  reduce regulated and non-regulated emissions
• avoid the use of hazardous and harmful materials
• minimise interior emissions including odours
• attain best possible exterior and interior noise levels

In future, we will develop each model in such a way that, in its entirety, it presents better environmental properties than its predecessor. As we do so, we will always make sure that the entire life cycle is taken into account during the development of our products. The environmental objectives set out above also serve to differentiate us from the competition to the benefit of our customers. In addition, we aim to place selected models in various environmental rankings.