• Procurement • Finance • Research/Environment • Investor Relations • Communications • Marketing and Sales • Organisation and IT • HR • Legal Affairs • Auditing
• Interface for CSR departments and issues • Basic corporate principles
• Monitoring/definition of ethical risks and opportunities • Stakeholder dialogue: evaluation and development
• Company profile for rankings • Information systems and databases • Sounding board for ideas
• … CSR-PROJECT TEAM
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Read more about „Environmental Management Systems“ at: www.volkswagen-sustainability.com –> Strategy and Management –> Sustainability Management –> Management Systems
processes, meeting fuel consumption and CO2guidelines and
satisfying regulations governing recycling, exhaust emis- sions and noise generation. These environmental goals are specified in detail and signed off for each new development.
Our employees and suppliers can find out more about current environmental legislation and the targets we have set ourselves by accessing environmental norms and specifi- cations, and a wealth of other – intranet-based – environ- ment-related content.
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 prod- uct recycling. A team of environmental experts has been set up to ensure that environmental factors are taken into con- sideration 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 envi- ronmental management system toolbox. For example, con- cepts for the use of renewable raw materials that appraise the use of environmentally compatible materials and meas- ures aimed at minimising fuel consumption and thus 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 advi- sory role of the Environment Officer, Products. With fuel consumption of just 5.1 l/100 km (136 g CO2/km) in saloon
form or 5.2 l/100 km (137 g CO2/km) as an Estate, this model
boasts very low fuel consumption and thus very favourable CO2emissions for its class (see Special Report: BlueMotion/
e-models).
Another important tool is end-of-life vehicle recycling. The recycling of vehicles at the end of their service life is a key factor across the automotive industry. Across Europe, we have put customer-friendly collection points in place in accordance with the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive.
Generally speaking, recycling end-of-life vehicles14)is an extremely complex business due to the large number of materials involved. That said, 80% of each end-of-life vehicle by weight is already recycled. The remaining shredder residue accounts for some 20% of the vehicle by weight and this is largely landfilled. Our new process – developed in cooperation with SiCon GmbH – for the extraction of second- ary raw materials from shredder residue, can increase the recycling rate for end-of-life vehicles to 95%. In 2006, the two partners in the project received the Environmental Award of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). The EU Commission also commended the process with its Euro-
pean Business Award for the Environment in the “Processes” category. In June 2007, Volkswagen was presented with a certificate from the German Federal Motor Vehicle Office (KBA) in recognition of its ground-breaking environmentally- friendly strategy, acknowledging the company’s activities in environmentally compatible vehicle recycling.
Human resources development
We also include human resources development as part of our far-reaching sustainability management programme. Human resources development at the Volkswagen Group covers all systematically structured processes which allow the performance and learning potential of employees to be identified, sustained and fostered in line with corporate strategy and the personal development potential of each individual.
However, human resources development should not be put in the same box as individual career planning. Above and beyond that, it charts possible development paths and defines the characteristics and skills required – with the overall aim of putting “the right man/woman in the right job at the right time.”
The overall scenario of human resources development spans systematic selection in the recruitment process, talent development along differentiated career paths and the sup- port of employees through targeted and needs-oriented skills development. This way we can nurture young employees, identify and develop talented people, keep experienced employees moving forwards and use targeted needs-oriented measures to maintain a high level of performance over a full professional lifetime.
The human resources development guidelines15)can be summarised in the following key points:
Human resources development is a leadership task of management at all levels
Human resources development is defined by transparent decisions, trust, information and results-oriented com- munication
Human resources development promotes the personal development opportunities of all employees through a systematic process of further training
Lifelong learning is a duty and personal responsibility of all employees
The promotion of employee health, enabling staff to remain fit and motivated, is an integral part of human resources development 5 4 3 2 1 15
Read more about „Human Resources Development“ at: www.volkswagen-sustainability.com –> Employees –> Human Resources Development
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Read more about „End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling“ at: www.volkswagen-sustainability.com –> Environment –> Resource Conservation –> End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling