Volkswagen honored as Germany's greenest brand

Volkswagen is one of the world's eco-friendliest brands. This is the result of the global sustainability ranking 'Best Global Green Brands 2012'. Among the front-running brands, Volkswagen climbed from sixth to fourth place, making it the most environmentally
compatible German automaker as well as Germany's 'greenest' company.

The rankings of the Interbrand consultancy, which also publishes the renowned Best Global Brands Report, have appeared annually since 2011. Interbrand analyzes the actual efforts of leading brands in the fields of environmental protection and sustainability as well as the perception of 'green' activities by a total of more than 10,000 consumers in the world's ten major industrialised countries.

In 2012, Volkswagen moved up two places in the rankings on the basis of performance data analyzed by consultants Deloitte using 82 criteria as well as consumers' assessment of the credibility of 'green' measures. In fourth place, Volkswagen is the highest-ranking German automaker as well as the highest-placed German company of all.

"This is a very good result for us. The improvement compared with the previous year shows that we are on the right track. We will continue to pool all the environmental sustainability efforts of the brand under the 'Think Blue.' umbrella. We are committed to achieving the Group objective of becoming the world's most sustainable automaker by 2018," said Luca de Meo, Head of Group Marketing and Head of Marketing, Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

In comparison with some of its competitors, Volkswagen also has the edge in reality. The study shows that the brand is already greener than consumers' perceptions to date on the basis of its specific performance data. Interbrand explains the improved result of Volkswagen by stating that the brand is oriented towards the 'ambitious' Group goal of becoming the world's most sustainable automobile company by 2018. The study states that this goal is being 'constantly substantiated' and has 'measurable proof points'.

The Volkswagen Group has firmly incorporated sustainability into its entire value stream. In March 2012, the group set itself new sustainability targets. The efficiency of each new vehicle generation is to be improved by 10 to 15 per cent, the emissions of the European new vehicle fleet are to be reduced to less than 120 grams of CO2/km by 2015 and production at the Group's plants is to become 25 per cent greener by 2018. Interbrand also praises the fact that the Volkswagen Group has invested about €600-million in the expansion of renewable energy, including solar, wind and hydroelectric power, and has appointed a Group Chief Officer for the Environment, Energy and New Business Areas. The Volkswagen brand is also characterised by 'Think Blue.', a holistic approach to environmental protection and the efficient use of resources that Volkswagen has launched internationally.

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