Volkswagen Pune Plant delivers inspiring results under its ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ initiative in 2015

• Reduction in specific ‘Energy Consumption’ (27.5%) and ‘CO2 Emissions’ (26.1%) surpass the global target of 25% reduction in impact on environment due to manufacturing processes
• Promising results observed in reduction of specific ‘Waste Generation’ (20.0%) and ‘Water Consumption’ (17.6%) at the Volkswagen Pune Plant
• For the first time since the start of the ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ programme in 2012, Pune Plant achieved an impressive reduction of ‘VOC Emissions’ (11.7%)

Volkswagen Pune Plant recorded promising results in 2015 under its ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ programme that aims at achieving sustainability through environment-friendly manufacturing. Since adopting the programme in 2012 at the Pune Plant, Volkswagen India has been able to reduce the overall impact on environment due to manufacturing processes by 20.6%. Pune Plant is one of the 27 Volkswagen automotive manufacturing facilities worldwide that follow the ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ and which have a combined target of reduction of 25% in the defined areas of ‘Energy Consumption’, ‘CO₂ Emissions’, ‘Water Consumption’, ‘Waste Generation’ and ‘VOC Emissions’.

‘Energy consumption’ & ‘CO₂ Emission’: Concrete steps deliver solid results

Volkswagen Pune Plant has achieved 27.5% reduction in specific ‘Energy Consumption’ and 26.1% reduction in specific ‘CO₂Emissions’ by the end of 2015. Maximum reduction in these areas has come out of the heat recovery system installed in Paint Shop. This system has resulted in 80% saving in natural gas requirement for hot water generation which ultimately contributed reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The other activities included additional LEDs replacing normal tube lights in shop areas, optimisation of air handling units and roof extractor operation. Even the operations of some of the utility equipment have been optimised to achieve reduction in energy consumption and thus CO₂ emissions.

‘Water Consumption’: Closing in on targets

The specific consumption of water at the Volkswagen Pune Plant has been reduced by 17.6% since the implementation of ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ programme. Process optimisations and recycling of water consumed for various processes in the plant have been the contributors in reducing the water consumption.

‘VOC Emissions’: First remarkable success

Right from the beginning, reduction in ‘VOC Emissions’ has been an area of challenge for Volkswagen Pune Plant. In 2015, the painting processes in the Paint Shop were optimised and the content of automation was increased which resulted in reduction of ‘Waste Generation’ and ultimately ‘VOC Emissions’. With a reduction in specific ‘VOC Emissions’ by 11.7%, the first remarkable success has been recorded by Volkswagen Pune Plant in this particular area of focus under the ‘Think Blue. Factory.’ programme.

Dr. Andreas Lauermann, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “Volkswagen Pune Plant has been working consistently towards achieving environment-friendly manufacturing from 2012 and has already recorded an impressive 20.6 % reduction overall through five defined areas of focus. Volkswagen is committed towards sustainability and the measure undertaken by our teams working on ‘Think Blue. Factory’ programme ensure that we fulfil our self-defined targets.” He further added, “We do not stop here. We are investigating and implementing more and more measures that contribute to environment-friendly manufacturing and protect our resources for the future. We also have a knowledge-sharing platform wherein we and our global colleagues share all the implementations which are studied and applied as per relevance for the local plants. Through this, we are ensuring that the best practices travel worldwide and contribute on a bigger scale in the respective plants.”