Volkswagen ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ wins Energy Globe Award

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has won the National Energy Globe Award Germany for its holistic ‘Think Blue. Factory’ environmental program. Earning particular recognition was its eco-friendly use of resources in production. With the Austrian Energy Globe Foundation as its patron, the award allows outstanding projects from all over the world with a focus on conserving resources, energy efficiency and using renewable energies to be honored every year. The award was presented by the Austrian ambassador Dr. Ralph Scheide in Berlin.

"Being awarded the National Energy Globe Award Germany is both an endorsement and an incentive for us to organise vehicle production at Volkswagen in an even more environmentally friendly way", as Peter Bosch, Head of Strategy, Processes and Structures for Production and Logistics at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand stated yesterday at the awards ceremony in the Austrian embassy in Berlin.
The Think Blue. Factory. initiative will enable Volkswagen to become a leader in ecological sustainability in production by 2018. The objective being pursued is to restructure its plants to make them 25 percent more friendly to the environment compared to 2010 – in terms of energy and water consumption, CO2 and solvent emissions, as well as waste. And the carmaker says it is making substantial progress: Half of these objectives have already been implemented.
Friedrich-Wilhelm Gundlach, Head of Strategy and Competence Development of the Components management area, explains: "The success of 'Think Blue. Factory' owes a lot to the commitment of our employees in particular. Numerous ideas and experiences from the production locations are being consistently developed and refined, in particular thanks to the systematic exchange of information among each other. This allows us to turn our knowledge into a tool."

In India too, the sprawling Volkswagen plant at Chakan, near Pune, has been part of the Think Blue. Factory. initiative since 2012 and has effected a host of eco-friendly measures across its manufacturing activities. 

The Energy Globe Award has been presented to environmental projects at regional, national and international level every year since 1999. Patron is the Energy Globe Foundation, which distinguishes the projects in cooperation with its partners in the respective countries. Innovative projects and initiatives from more than 160 countries compete for the awards every year.

Photographs: 1) Peter Bosch, head of strategy, Processes and Structures for Production and Logistics at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Dr Ralph Scheide, Austrian ambassador, and Bettina Lindner, commercial attaché.

2) Biogas plant at Volkswagen India’s Chakan plant.

Also read: Interview with Andreas Lauenroth, Volkswagen India’s executive director (technical) on the green initiatives at the Chakan plant.  http://bit.ly/1q2WN2t