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As climate change continues, the long-awaited shift that has been brewing beneath the surface of the mobility sector is finally beginning to come to fruition. Transformation is finally starting to happen, and Audi is among the pioneers of this change. A leader within the automotive industry, a developer of technology, and one of the most important OEMs in Germany; Audi is making sustainability part of its mission. 

Audi understands that, although individual mobility has been an essential tool to ensuring the freedom of all those on the planet for a long time, it must become environmentally friendly in order to continue. To Audi, this is non-negotiable, and the company is actively accelerating its internal processes to reach the right level of performance. This can be seen at its Audi Brussels and Audi Hungaria plants, which both operate as carbon neutral on balance. Additionally, at Audi Brussels, the company focuses on its own energy production in several ways, such as enlarging its capacity for solar modules by up to 1700 square metres in 2021, resulting in the biggest installation in the region and allowing Audi to cover up to 10% of its electricity consumption. 

Audi is in no doubt that environmental protection and economic success are inextricably linked. Its Mission: Zero program focuses on the four action areas of decarbonization, water usage, resource efficiency, and biodiversity. This is a program for which the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations act as a guiding principle, along with the environmental mission statement of the Volkswagen Group. 

In terms of the ecological transformation of Audi’s production, logistics, and worldwide sites, the company is transforming itself from a car manufacturer to a provider of carbon-neutral premium mobility. All Audi sites will become carbon-neutral on balance by 2025. In addition, Audi is focusing on the efficiency of its processes and water cycles at its production sites in the face of growing water scarcity and the declining quality in drinking water across industrialized regions.

In addition to its keen focus on environmental aspects; Audi also follows high standards in all fields of sustainability and, therefore, only works with partners who share its values. The company interacts with more than 14,000 direct suppliers from over 60 countries; a responsibility that also offers enormous potential to operate sustainably at critical positions. It is Audi’s conviction that its suppliers play a key role in its sustainable achievements.

Indeed, the possibilities for sustainable action in the supply chain have starting points that are as multi-layered as the supplier structure itself. Thanks to the electrification of Audi’s vehicles, it is here that a lot of CO₂ emissions arise. This makes it essential that Audi, as part of the Audi CO₂ program, improves the CO₂ balance sheet in the supply chain – even before its vehicles embark on the road. To do this, Audi is focusing on green energy, recycling concepts, and the use of secondary materials. The Audi e-tron, as the brand’s first fully electric car and a huge milestone for CO₂ neutral mobility, is one of the company’s biggest achievements. If the  car is charged consequently with green energy, it can be run CO₂ neutral. It is through such developments – in combination with its CO₂-neutral production – that Audi aims to minimize its carbon footprint across the entire value chain.

Ultimately, Audi is facing some of the biggest challenges of the century head on. The company has proved that, although change is necessary, it has to come from within in order to make a real impact. Audi’s genuine concern and motivation to put sustainability, digitalisation, and electrification to the forefront of the agenda is key to its future success, and an inspiration for others to follow suit. Audi understands that its responsibilities go beyond CO₂ and climate change and is also taking steps to reduce water consumption. The company’s plans for the next few years include going electric, creating CO₂-neutral production sites until 2025, reducing resources like plastic and rare earth metals and installing biodiversity projects in its production sites. Such goals are ambitious, but Audi has been preparing for years to reach this point and is well on its way to changing the future of mobility forever.