Sustainability Program
The Audi Sustainability Program combines strategic goals in the area of sustainability with concrete measures. It is divided into the four core topics “Operations and Integrity,” “Products and Services,” “Value Creation and Production” as well as “Employees and Society.”
Operations and Integrity
| Goal | Measure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 9 to 11 percent operating return on sales by no later than 2025 | Implementation of the Audi Transformation Plan and the Audi Strategy | Continuous development |
| 21 percent return on investment (ROI) by no later than 2025 | Implementation of the Audi Transformation Plan and the Audi Strategy | Continuous development |
|
5.0 to 6.0 percent research and development ratio by no later than 2025 [1] |
Implementation of the Audi Transformation Plan and the Audi Strategy | Continuous development |
|
5.0 to 6.0 percent ratio of capex by no later than 2025 [2] |
Implementation of the Audi Transformation Plan and the Audi Strategy | Continuous development |
| Self-finance the transformation to provider of sustainable, individual premium mobility | Implementation of the Audi Transformation Plan and the Audi Strategy | Continuous development |
| EUR 15 billion measure potential through the Audi Transformation Plan 2018-2022 | Programs already set up with Project Management Office (PMO) and work packages 2022 from the Board of Management. Flanked by ongoing monitoring and control. |
2022 |
| Reinforce Group-wide compliance and integrity | Implementation of the Group-wide compliance and integrity program Together4Integrity in all companies through 2025 | 2025 |
| Accompanying communication campaign Together4Integrity | 2025 | |
|
Global protection and responsible handling of personal data |
Definition of data processing principles applicable worldwide | 2020 |
| Establishment of a data protection organization within the Audi brand group | 2020 | |
| Binding measures in the Audi brand group, e.g. maintaining a procedure directory, internal reporting processes for data protection violations, ensuring the rights of parties concerned or establishing an appropriate risk management system | Continuous development |
[1] Adjustment of the target range of 6.5 to 7.0 percent to 5.0 to 6.0 percent due to the relocation of R&D volumes to the Car.SW Org. and further use of Group synergies.
[2] Adjustment of the target range from 5.5 to 6.0 percent to 5.0 to 6.0 percent due to optimization of the ratio of capex.
Products and Services
| Goal | Measure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce CO₂ emissions from the Audi EU new car fleet by 27 percent (base year 2012) | Reduce consumption by using new technologies from the modular efficiency platform | 2020 |
| Reduce environmental impact across the entire lifecycle compared with the predecessor model | Prepare product-based life cycle assessments for new vehicle models; validate and certify life cycle assessments; publish the data | Continuous development |
| Significantly reduce fuel consumption for every new vehicle compared with the predecessor model | Switch 70 percent of new vehicles sold with combustion engines to mild hybridization or plug-in hybridization [3] | 2022 |
| Expand the range of electric drive concepts | Expand the range of plug-in hybrids to seven Audi models | 2020 |
| Availability of at least one plug-in hybrid in every core segment from compact class or higher (Audi A3) [4] | 2023 | |
|
Forty percent of new Audi vehicles feature an electric drive (availability of at least one battery electric vehicle for each core segment) |
2025 | |
| Extension of the product portfolio to a total of five electric cars | 2020 | |
| Ensure availability of charging systems for private charging to coincide with the market introduction of the first fully electric series-production model from Audi |
Provide competitive charging lineup for electrified Audi models for domestic charging, including: – Charging equipment – Smart charging functions, e.g. photovoltaic-optimized charging – Joint projects on home energy management systems (HEMS) – Innovative technologies |
2020 [5] |
| Further development of the charging lineup for electrifed Audi models in relation to the smart integration of electric vehicles into power grids to promote the compatibility between electric vehicles and the grid, including piloting of services to network the vehicle with the power grids | 2020 | |
| Ensure the availability of fast-charging infrastructure along the long-distance transport axes in Europe and the USA to promote long-distance capability of electric vehicles | Infrastructure expansion in cooperation with partners, e.g. IONITY joint venture in Europe and Electrify America in the USA, as an incentive for electric vehicles | 2022 |
| Extend the charging infrastructure at the Audi sites | Set up and operate cross-site charging infrastructure at Audi sites for the start of production (SOP) of the Audi e-tron; additional needs-based expansion for processes in the plant as well as providing 10% electrified parking lots for company cars and employee leasing vehicles by the middle of 2022 [6] | 2022 [7] |
| Conserve resources through new recycling concepts for closing material cycles | Development of a recycling process for traction-battery cells |
2019 (completed) |
| Global protection and responsible handling of personal data | Fine-tune the organizational processes to validate privacy by design, privacy by default | Continuous development |
| Expand the range to include fuel cell drive concepts under the Audi h-tron umbrella brand | Continue to develop fuel cell technology, introduce a small series with fuel cells to the market [8] | 2022 |
| Roll out fuel cell technology across the Group brands | 2026 [9] | |
| Provide carbon-neutral energy sources from renewable energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions | Promote the development of synthetic liquid fuels together with suitable partners. Additional focus on the technology readiness of products within AUDI AG [10] | Continuous development |
| Market introduction of Audi e-fuels and Audi e-power in addition to Audi e-gas | 2019 [11] | |
| Extend strategic partnerships and cooperation agreements regarding research and development of renewable energies | Continuous development | |
| Integrate a CO2 capturing plant (capturing CO2 from the air) in a power-to-gas or power-to-liquid plant |
2021 |
|
| Responsibility for the safety of customers and other road user | Portfolio of predictive assistance and safety systems | Continuous development |
| Enhance road safety | Further development of technologies toward assisted/automated driving | 2025 |
| Develop an attractive mobility portfolio | Develop new business models | 2022 |
[3] Adjustment of the measure due to an additional shift in demand towards PHEV.
[4] European market
[5] Deadline corrected from 2019 to 2020 due to a development delay.
[6] Specification of the deadline for the implementation of the 10%. However, expansion remains an ongoing and needs-based measure.
[7] The planned expansion for 2019 was implemented. Adjustment of the target deadline to completion of the entire measure.
[8] Introduction of a homologated small-series vehicle stopped due to changed planning assumptions; however, further development of fuel cell technology (module/tank development/production technology).
[9] Deadline corrected from 2025 to 2026 due to changed planning assumptions in the Group
[10] The market introduction of synthetic liquid fuels by AUDI AG is currently suspended owing to a change in strategic direction.
[11] Deadline corrected from 2019 to 2021 due to reprioritization of technological supplementary measures at the PtG plant in Werlte
Value Creation and Production
| Goal | Measure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Integrate sustainability into supplier relationships | Training for all procurement employees to raise awareness of sustainability standards in supplier relationships | Continuous development |
| Training for all suppliers to raise awareness of sustainability standards in the supply chain | Continuous development | |
|
Introduction of a sustainability rating (S Rating) from mid-2019 with relevant first-tier suppliers |
2019 (completed) |
|
| Sustainability rating (S-Rating) as a mandatory criterion for awarding contracts | Continuous development | |
| Involvment in industry standards and Group tools to ensure complicance with environment-related and social standards in the supply chain | Continuous development | |
| Integrate sustainability into the supply of raw materials | Development of circular economy concepts for the supply chain (focus: aluminum and HV battery) | 2020 |
| Adaptation of existing processes through successive implementation of human rights duty of care for critical raw materials in the supply chain | Continuous development | |
| Successive decarbonization of the supply chain together with suppliers [12] | Performance of CO2 workshops with selected hotspot suppliers to identify measures with potential to reduce CO2 emissions [13] | Continuous development |
| Rollout of the Aluminum Closed Loop in other plants | 2025 | |
| Anchoring the use of green electricity in the supply chain | Continuous development | |
| Involvement of Sales in implementing Audi’s sustainability strategy | Completion of a sustainable conference building (Audi Brand Center) at Munich Airport with an integrated photovoltaic system to generate electricity, ultra-efficient building technology, geothermal building cooling and heating, along with the use of sustainable building components |
2019 (completed) |
| Commissioning of an electric charging station at Munich Airport with six charging points (two rapid-charging stations, four standard-charging stations), supported by second-life-battery buffer storage devices. Reuse of the e-tron meteorite as a building for the electric charging station supplemented by sustainable materials |
2019 (completed) |
|
| Reduction in disposable waste, freshwater consumption, CO2 and VOC emissions, as well as overall energy consumption at the production sites by 25 percent per reference unit (base year 2010) | Detailed planning and implementation of site-specific packages of measures for achieving Group-wide reduction targets |
2019 (completed) |
| For the German sites Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, we have set ourselves a reduction target of 40 percent for CO2 per reference unit through 2020 as part of energy supply (base year 2010) | Detailed planning and implementation of site-specifc packages of measures for achieving Group-wide reduction targets | 2020 |
|
Achievement of the target figure for the environmental impact reduction production per unit (UEP) of 35 percent. The environmental impact reduction production is a vehi- cle-specific variable. From 2010 through 2025, the devel- opment of the five key figures is analyzed: CO2 emissions, overall energy consumption, disposable waste, fresh water consumption and VOC emissions. |
Detailed planning and implementation of site-specific packages of measures for achieving Group-wide reduction targets | 2025 |
|
Expansion and development of measures for reducing freshwater consumption at national and international sites |
Realization of water recycling at the Ingolstadt site using a membrane bioreactor; reduction target for freshwater requirements: 30 percent [14] |
2019 (completed) |
| Systematic reduction in energy consumption |
Reduction in overall energy consumption through targets derived from prior-year consumption and the corresponding concrete, implemented and documented individual measures in the operator and planning areas |
Continuous development |
| All plants CO₂-neutral | Detailed planning and implementation of site-specifc packages of measures for achieving targets | 2025 |
| Implementation of the performance standard/chain of custody of the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) | Verifcation of the ASI performance criteria and implementation of the necessary audit to renew the ASI certification of the aluminum components in the Audi e-tron high-voltage storage device | 2021 |
| Extension of the ASI performance standard/chain of custody to include other aluminum components and production sites of AUDI AG | Continuous development | |
| Integration of sustainability in the supplier chain and own added value of high-voltage storage devices at Audi | Development of sustainability principles and support of the establishment of standards for high-voltage batteries in the working groups “Circular Economy” and “Innovation” of the Global Battery Alliance, hosted by the World Economic Forum | Continuous development |
[12] The measure “Successive decarbonization of the supply chain together with suppliers” from the 2018 sustainability report was defined as a target for the 2019 program and supplemented by additional measures.
[13] The measure “Analyze CO2 emissions in the supply chain and derive potential measures for their reduction” from the 2018 sustainability report was defined in more detail for the 2019 program and thus cannot be found under this name. The planned measures for 2019 were implemented.
[14] Percentage decline from 40 to 30 percent due to change in the reference value (in- crease in freshwater requirements at the Ingolstadt site)
Employees and Society
| Goal | Measure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Make working hours and place of work more flexible | Establishment of mobile working | Continuous development |
| Updating of methodology and content of vocational and advanced training | Extension of digital learning methods days at a high level (three-year forecast) | 2025 |
| Modification of content of vocational and advanced training in relation to strategic future-oriented topics | 2025 | |
| Maintaining vocational training figures and advanced training | 2020 | |
|
Promote employee health |
Further development of occupational health & safety at international sites | 2020 |
| Setup of digital offerings as part of company health promotion | 2022 | |
| Promote equal opportunities | Increase in the proportion of women in the first management tier below the Board of Management to 8 percent and to 16 percent in the second management tier | 2021 |
| Strengthen cultural diversity | Expansion of the proportion of international managers within AUDI AG, global employee rotation, international young talent programs, intercultural awareness and training | 2025 |
| Promote work-life balance | Expansion of childcare | Continuous development |
| Focus on the issue of care as part of employee information events | Continuous development | |
| Expansion and development of urban services: offerings and services for daily requirements at the interface between home and work at the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites | Continuous development | |
| Promotion of employee mobility by strengthening the provision of job tickets and promoting carpooling | Continuous development | |
| Further develop voluntary programs | Needs survey through annual events/formats at the Audi sites | Continuous development |
| Promote a corporate culture along the lines of the Volkswagen Group Essentials, the Audi corporate values and the Code of Cooperation [11] | Group-wide introduction of a role model program for managers and supervisors |
2019 (completed) |
| Rollout and establishment of the Volkswagen Group Essentials |
2019 (completed) |
|
| Establishment of the team dialogues and the principle indicator to publicize the Volkswagen Group Essentials and to measure the culture progress |
2019 (completed) |
|
| Increase employer attractiveness | Initiation and promotion of future-oriented events with the focus on corporate citizenship/innovation (e.g. MQ! Innovation Summit or One Young World Summit) | Continuous development |
| Provide access to education for the public | Public “Wissenschaft im Dialog” (Academia in Dialogue) events at the Ingolstadt & Neckarsulm sites | Continuous development |
| Further develop research and teaching in future-oriented fields at universities | Support of universities through endowed professorships | Continuous development |
| Promote mental health | Stage I: Increase in transparency and communication through a destigmatization campaign |
2019 (completed) |
|
Stages II & III: Expansion of support services and establishment of a physical and mental health network and holistic care structures |
2023 | |
| Promote flexible cooperation within the company | Creation and establishment of new cooperation formats, such as: agile process workshop, think tank in Berlin | Continuous development |
| Digitalize HR processes |
Launch and establishment of an HR app to make it even easier for employees to access personal data (e.g., working hours, calendar, wages, etc.) |
2020 |
| Extend attractive working conditions |
Implementation of the extended wage agreement (T-ZUG) with a choice between having the additional wages paid out or converted to paid leave |
2020 |
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