Coordination

The Volkswagen Group has a clearly organised sustainability structure. We have further sharpened our sustainability profile, with the creation of the Coordination CSR and Sustainability office in 2006 playing a key role.

CSR and Sustainability office: collating information
This office is responsible for the strategic direction and optimisation of CSR and Sustainability Management across the Group. A key element of its brief is to shine the spotlight inside the company itself. The aim is, among other things, to strengthen the exchange of information between the individual specialist departments in order to improve the existing processes, adapt the information systems on which mutual learning is based and thus be able to react faster and more effectively to external events.

This enables expertise to be accessed at source for use in enhancing the company’s CSR and sustainability profile. This might involve adapting and developing information systems – such as in the environmental and social sectors – and collating and preparing information for profiles, ratings and publications, for example. When it comes to activities within the Group, the office reports directly to the CSR Steering Group, which brings together decision-makers from all the central Group departments on a regular basis.

Sustainability structures within the group


Reorganisation of environmental protection activities within the Group
Further improvements were made to the Group-wide coordination of our environmental protection activities in 2006. We reorganised the Environmental Department in 2006 and shifted its focus to strategic, product, production and mobility-related areas. Since 2003 the Group Environmental Steering Group (GESG) has been liaising closely with the environmental protection bodies of the individual brands to develop Group environmental strategies and goals. The Group brands, the regions where their production plants are located and experts from Group HQ are all represented in the GESG. This ensures implementation of and compliance with our environmental strategies at all the Group’s plants.

Product-related environmental protection at Volkswagen reorganised
Within the scope of a reorganisation of product-related environmental protection at Volkswagen AG in 2006, the Environmental Management Officer of the Volkswagen brand also took on the role of Environment Officer, Products. This role involves improving the environmental friendliness of products from development to launch and optimising product recycling. A team of environmental experts has been set up to ensure that environmental factors are taken into consideration in the development process for every new vehicle project.

This team has an advisory and steering role in the development of individual models and makes use of the Environmental Management System toolbox. For example, concepts for the use of renewable raw materials that appraise the use of environmentally compatible materials and measures aimed at lowering fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are signed off and implemented at the pre-planning stage of the vehicle development process.

The Passat BlueMotion is one successful example both of the interplay between all the specialist areas and of the advisory role of the Environment Officer, Products. With fuel consumption of just 5.1 l/100 km (136 g CO2/km) for the Saloon or 5.2 l/100 km (137 g CO2/km) for the Estate, this model boasts very low fuel consumption and thus very favourable CO2 emissions for its class.

Next Group Environment Conference in Wolfsburg
Another important instrument in the Group’s environmental structures is our Regional Conferences. They maintain a healthy line of communication between Group HQ and the regional Environmental Management Officers. Every three years our employees find out more about projects at other plants, agree common goals and in so doing improve the Group’s risk profile in terms of liability and image. Plus, we have discovered that sharing knowledge also leads to actual cost savings. We held the first Regional Conference in Mexico in 2003, and at the end of 2007 we will be inviting all the regional representatives to a Group Environmental Conference in Wolfsburg. This will provide an opportunity to report back on progress at Group level and on the results of the Regional Conferences, and to draw up common goals.