ŠKODA is investing in a Greener Future

21-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Environmental protection activities combined in ŠKODA AUTO ‘GreenFuture’ Project. Focus: Environmentally friendly ŠKODA vehicles. Sustainable production and eco-friendly sales and customer service. Already 48 ŠKODA models under 120g CO2/km and ten under 100g CO2/km.

The aim of the ŠKODA ‘GreenFuture’ strategy is to improve the sustainability of the company. The focus is on efficient vehicles and promoting the more efficient use of resources throughout the company. ŠKODA’s production will focus on using 25% less energy and water, generating fewer emissions and recycling even more by 2018. This is how the Czech car manufacturer is to achieve the Volkswagen Group environmental targets by 2018.

ŠKODA continually invests in environmental protection: Since 1991, the company has directly spent around CZK 10.3 billion (more than 410 million Euros) on the sustainable management of resources. Environmentally friendly production and fuel-efficient vehicles have a tradition at ŠKODA, and the evidence for this can be found in the Czech manufacturer’s current GreenLine and Green tec models. The GreenLine version of the new generation ŠKODA Octavia is the most economical Octavia ever with the diesel using only 3.4 litres/100km (70 miles/gallon) and CO2 emissions at a maximum 89g/km.

The ‘GreenFuture’ principles are part of the 2018 ŠKODA growth strategy. The targets are to improve economic performance and lower the environmental impact. All ŠKODA’s environmental activities in the further reduction of resource consumption are now merged and coordinated through the ‘GreenFuture’ project. “To achieve our targets, we are strengthening our sustainability strategy. Under the name of ‘GreenFuture’, we have put together a team of experts to control ŠKODA’s environmental activities more effectively”, explains Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland, the Chairman of ŠKODA AUTO. The ‘GreenFuture’ team reports directly to the company’s Board of Directors.

‘Green Future’ stands on three pillars: GreenProduct, GreenFactory and GreenRetail. As part of the company’s environmental strategy, ŠKODA will reshape their own production into being 25% more environmentally friendly by 2018. GreenFactory focuses, in particular, on variables such as energy and water consumption and the amount of waste produced in the manufacture of each vehicle as well as emissions of CO2 and VOCs (volatile organic compounds), like those created when painting car bodies.

ŠKO-ENERGO, the energy provider, is replacing coal with biomass in the form of wood pellets to heat the ŠKODA factory in Mladá Boleslav. This contributes to a significant reduction in CO2-emissions from the production process by around 45,000 tons of CO2 annually.

The latest example of conserving resources is the commissioning of the new servo-mechanic press line at Mladá Boleslav. This new press installation works more effectively whilst also consuming less energy and represents one of the most modern facilities of its kind in Europe. It requires up to 15 percent less energy than older technology.

GreenProduct deals with sustainable mobility, which currently is mainly represented in the GreenLine and Green tec models. An ever-increasing use of modern technology, contributing to efficient operations and a lower impact on the environment, affects the whole model range. There are currently 48 ŠKODA models with emissions less than 120g CO2/km on offer, including ten with emissions under 100g CO2/km. A test fleet of ten electric cars is currently in operation – the Octavia Green E Line – collecting data for the research on zero-emission mobility. Additionally, all new ŠKODA vehicles are at least 85% recyclable.

The third pillar is GreenRetail – eco-friendly dealerships and garages; aspects of which are the so called environmental audits. These check the compliance with environmental standards, award the ‘Green Seal’ to dealers, and arrange events such as ‘Spring Clean 2012’, through which around 95 tons of unneeded or scrap material was taken out of Czech Service Partners’ warehouses and almost 90% of it could be reprocessed.

ŠKODA employees also contribute to environmental protection in their free time. Since 2007, for every car bought in the Czech Republic, ŠKODA has planted a tree in the country. So far, around 363,000 trees have been planted and this year another 60,000 seedlings are on their way.

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ŠKODA is investing in a Greener Future