ŠKODA presents roadmap for sustainable mobility

› 2030 targets: consistently pursue climate-neutral mobility, reduce CO₂ fleet emissions by more than 50% compared to 2020
› The focus is on electromobility, climate-neutral production and reusable & recycled materials
› Newly established External Sustainability Council brings expertise to bear on important decisions
› Sustainability among the central topics of the NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030

Mladá Boleslav, 19 September 2022 – ŠKODA AUTO is forging ahead with decarbonising the company, supported by a holistic action plan under the NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. In addition to accelerating the ramp-up of electromobility, the focus is on sustainably producing and operating battery‑electric vehicles, including supply chains. To achieve this, ŠKODA is committed to using, for example, recyclable materials in its cars and consistently recycling the high-voltage batteries from e-vehicles.

The car manufacturer has defined sustainability as a key area of its NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030 and has set itself ambitious targets to effectively reduce the CO₂ footprint of its business activities along the entire value chain. Over the past year, ŠKODA AUTO’s investments in this area – along with comprehensive, transparent communication on the topics of environment, social affairs, governance and finance – have helped the Volkswagen Group to become the first automotive company in the world to meet the reporting requirements of the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan and the EU Taxonomy.

ŠKODA AUTO is increasingly turning to renewable energy to manufacture vehicles, and in doing so is significantly reducing CO₂ emissions in production. This means that all three Czech plants will be operating with net-zero carbon emissions by 2030; the production plants in India will be completely CO₂-neutral by 2025. The component plant in Vrchlabí had met this target by the end of 2020. In addition to using renewable energies, the comprehensive measures also include recycling waste, using resource-efficient materials and processes and predominantly green logistics. ŠKODA AUTO is also supporting the construction of a wind farm in Moravice-Melč in the east of the Czech Republic in collaboration with ŠKO-ENERGO.

ŠKODA AUTO is increasingly opting for natural, recycled and recyclable materials such as those used in the ŠKODA VISION 7S concept car. In addition to metals and glass, recycled plastics are already being incorporated into new vehicles. In the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV, for example, the seat covers are made of virgin wool and recycled PET bottles. The next steps involve composite materials made from plastic and fibres from sugar beet or the reed plant Miscanthus. The use of rice husks, hemp, cork and coconut fibres is also being researched. ŠKODA is deploying used high-voltage batteries from electric vehicles in stationary energy storage systems before they are recycled. This second life cycle effectively reduces the batteries’ CO₂ footprint.

ŠKODA AUTO’s holistic approach to sustainability not only includes CO₂-neutral production but also running electric cars with virtually zero emissions. ŠKODA ENYAQ iV cars are already delivered to customers with a carbon‑neutral balance sheet. ŠKODA AUTO compensates for currently unavoidable CO₂ emissions during production by purchasing certified carbon credits. In addition, the company is supporting the expansion of renewable energy sources in Europe. For example, the car manufacturer is involved in constructing a new wind farm in Finland. With a calculated energy volume of 570 GWh per year, the plant will produce enough green energy in the future to supply around 150,000 households with electricity – or power ŠKODA electric vehicles with zero local emissions.

On its path towards greater sustainability, ŠKODA is systematically involving its 3,200 dealers worldwide. One thing is clear: Even small measures can reduce the carbon footprint, for example offering bicycles as replacement vehicles for customers at servicing appointments. Alongside GreenRetail in the retail sector, GreenProduct focuses on vehicles that are as environmentally friendly as possible, and GreenFactory is dedicated to sustainable production.

The company’s sustainability measures build on the Volkswagen Group’s environmental mission statement ‘goTOzero’. The policy encompasses the topics of climate change, resources, air quality and environmental compliance.

As part of this, the #Project1Hour initiative calls on the Volkswagen Group’s 660,000 employees to consider their own contribution to sustainability and climate protection to mark Earth Day each year on 22 April. In 2022, employees of ŠKODA AUTO and its subsidiaries SAVWIPL India as well as ŠKODA AUTO Germany and ŠKODA AUTO Slovakia took part in the campaign.