Group-wide data on production-related environmental protection

Energy consumption. Intensified efficiency-boosting measures worldwide and mild temperatures in central Europe helped energy consumption to grow at a far lower rate than production output at all of the Group’s plants.

CO₂ emissions. Indirect CO₂ emissions from the use of external electricity and district heating dropped as a result of energy-saving measures as well as from the separate purchase of electricity low in CO₂.

Emissions into the atmosphere. Random samples are generally used to determine the volume of pollutants (SO₂, CO, NO_x, and particulates) emitted by officially monitored production facilities. Solvents (VOC) are mainly determined from material balances that provide more precise results. Emissions developed at a low level, generally in line with production.

Waste volumes. Because of the construction of a new treatment facility, since 2011 large amounts of rinsing water no longer need to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Although the total amount of waste rose due to increased production, and in particular to substantially higher amounts of scrap metal, the overall recycling rate grew from 91 percent to 93 percent.

Water consumption. Due to conservation measures, the total amount of water consumed rose at a slower rate than production. In addition, the share of water from the company’s own wells increased. The surface water category encompasses water from rivers as well as rainwater used for production purposes.

Land. The increase in the plant areas is due to better documentation methods.

Costs related to environmental protection. During the year under review, the further intensification of the research and development of alternative drive systems was also reflected in the increased spending on environment-related R&D.

Truck shipments of suppliers in Germany and Vitoria. The total values from the central logistics database refer to the great majority of plants in Germany as well as to the facility in Vitoria, Spain. Despite great optimization efforts, truck shipments and the corresponding emissions rose at an above-average rate.

CO₂ emissions from business trips. The values were computed by adding together the number of person-kilometers of all the trips booked in Germany by the central Travel Services unit. Trips in company cars were not included. The substantial rise in emissions from business flights is caused by the growth of the company’s global activities.

Material balance of the products manufactured by the Group. The material balance of all of the Group’s products was calculated for the first time. Because the material compositions of the vehicles are known, the material balance can be computed by multiplying the compositions of a representative group of vehicles with unit sales.