Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, explains: “Sustainability is a cornerstone of our NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. We’re committed to reducing our environmental impact even further in the future, and we’ve set clear milestones to achieve this. We’re working hard to meet our ambitious targets and continuously discuss innovative approaches with all our employees. GreenWeek offers an ideal forum to review the current situation, receive feedback and develop new ideas.”
During ŠKODA AUTO’s GreenWeek from 19 to 23 September 2022, employees of the Czech car manufacturer will be able to exchange ideas with experts from across the company as well as external specialists. The discussions on current projects aim to identify untapped potential in the area of sustainability and to raise awareness of how crucial the circular economy is.
GreenWeek’s diverse programme is geared towards numerous target groups; besides online workshops for employees, events for primary schools are also on the agenda. ŠKODA Design will also be demonstrating the range of possibilities sustainable materials and technologies offer. In addition, the car manufacturer will be providing a detailed overview of the activities at its Czech and Indian sites, which are consistently aligned with circular economy principles. Towards the end of GreenWeek, the focus will shift to the topics of biodiversity and climate change. An ‘eco-film festival’ is scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday.
ŠKODA AUTO combines its sustainability goals in the areas of ‘GreenProduct’, ‘GreenFactory’ and ‘GreenRetail’ under the umbrella of its ‘Green Future’ strategy. In addition, the company has again significantly strengthened its ambitious sustainability targets in its NEXT LEVEL – ŠKODA STRATEGY 2030. Production at the Vrchlabí plant has been CO2-neutral since the end of 2020, and by the end of this decade, the two Czech sites in Mladá Boleslav and Kvasiny as well as at the Indian production sites will be manufacturing with net-zero emissions. The carmaker aims to reduce its fleet emissions by more than 50% by 2030 compared to 2020.
Aside from GreenWeek, the car manufacturer’s staff are involved in numerous other initiatives supporting environmental protection and sustainability every year. For example, the Czech carmaker has been a partner of the ‘Clean Up Czechia’ campaign since 2015, and in April ŠKODA once again took part in the Volkswagen Group’s #Project1Hour environmental initiative to mark Earth Day. Another example of ŠKODA AUTO’s diverse sustainability activities is the ‘One car, one tree’ project. Since 2007, the car manufacturer has been planting a sapling for every vehicle delivered in the Czech Republic; the one millionth tree was planted in Mladá Boleslav last October. Another example of the car manufacturer’s multifaceted sustainability initiatives is SWAP, a public exchange meet for books or clothes. The company also promotes biodiversity around its production sites worldwide through numerous additional measures.
On the heels of GreenWeek, ŠKODA AUTO will be taking part in the Volkswagen Group’s ‘goTOzero weeks’ at the end of September. This involves all of the Group’s brands and departments worldwide devoting time to the topics of sustainability and environmental protection.
