For Volkswagen, environmental protection is all about the full life cycle
Volkswagen develops its products and services in the most environmentally compatible way possible. As we do so, we consider not only the production and use phases, but also the raw materials, precursors and suppliers, and the end-of-life recycling process. This cradle-to-grave approach is what we call the life cycle principle.
For Volkswagen, applying the life cycle principle means our responsibility begins well before anything enters our factory gates and does not end when a vehicle is sold.
We apply the same principle when calculating environmental impacts. Only by adding up all such impacts from start to finish can we arrive at the correct result. This is particularly important when we are comparing two potential variants. If a particular model is more environmentally compatible to produce, this advantage can be brought to nothing by problematic outsourced components.
And finally, the life cycle principle also helps us organize the way we work at Volkswagen. Because while we have specialist teams for the different phases of the life cycle, it is only by working together over the entire life cycle that we achieve a truly positive outcome for the environment.
In concrete terms, that means:
- Volkswagen fosters strategic partnerships with suppliers in order to drive forward innovations that help protect the environment
- In our Roadmap E we are launching one of the most comprehensive electrification offensives in the automobile industry to deliver electric vehicles for everyone. That means fascinating new products and reduced CO2 emissions during the use phase
- Volkswagen is also working on new CO2-neutral fuels
- Through our new Moia brand we are developing smart, environmentally compatible mobility concepts
- Recycling is a major topic for Volkswagen – not least when it comes to re-commissioning car batteries or recycling and reutilizing valuable materials.
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