Resource Conservation

On the product side, there are two approaches to meeting recycling requirements in our Group – firstly recycling of end-of-life vehicles, where a new method for recovering secondary raw materials allowed us to significantly boost our recycling rate in 2006, and secondly recycling of packaging materials. On the packaging front, a reorganisation has taken place. By returning these materials to our suppliers, we not only ease the burden on the environment, we even make some money at the same time.

Turning old materials into new
The Volkswagen Group is setting standards on end-of-life vehicle recycling, where a new technique for processing automotive shredder residues has led to a major increase in the recycling rate. Instead of the previous 20 percent, now not even 5 percent of the vehicle by weight has to be sent to landfill. 
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An even better performance
Materials and packaging are major items in the product life cycle assessment. All environmental impacts along the supply chain, from the extraction of the raw materials, through ore processing to production of the intermediate products, show up in this assessment – a clear reminder that we have an environmental responsibility to use materials efficiently. 
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