VW sets tough environmental targets
Volkswagen is planning to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its plants by 2018.
The announcement came from VW's Headquarters in Wolsfburg, Germany, and sets tough new targets for the auto giant's environmental footprint with a commitment to reduce the impact of all its production plants by 25% in seven years.
The target applies to VW's global manufacturing operations and includes all aspects such as energy and water consumption, waste volume and emissions as part of its "Think Blue. Factory" initiative.
The company has stated that its global strategy is aimed at ensuring long-term, sustainable vehicle production with overal environmental impact of plant operations being measured against the benchmark annual values from 2010 production.
The German company, which is expanding its operations rapidly to meet increasing demand - particularly in China - is already building its new sites to the very latest environmentally friendly specifications. It's most recent plant, in Tennessee, became the first automotive factory in the world to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification.
