Sustainability Report 2009/2010

“A palace makes a comeback

Secondary raw materials have economic and environmental advantages

End-of-life vehicles are a source of raw materials. That might sound obvious, but the full implications have only been understood relatively recen tly – following many years of research. Today it is possible to recycle not just 80 percent but up to 95 percent of a vehicle by weight. With its vehicle recycling strategy, the Volkswagen Group ensures that it can meet all the statutory vehicle recycling targets. Conservative use of all resources and the use of renewable materials are also anchored in our glo bal Environmental Prin ciples Products. The VW-SiCon recycling process, which unlike conventional recycling systems is also capable of processing non-metallic shredder residue, marks a major milestone in the recycling of our vehicles, and means that a 95 percent recycling ratio is now feasible and economically viable. The Life Cycle Assessment for the VWSiCon process, which has won the Eu’s “Euro pean Business Award for the Environment”, reveals that it is also up to 30 percent less CO2-intensive than manual dismantling. Also, in the production of new Golf VI models, for example, 527 kg of pri mary raw materials have been saved by subs tituting secondary raw materials – including steel salvaged from the former East Ger many’s demolished “Palace of the Republic”. In other words, secondary raw materials now make up more than 40 percent of the vehicle by weight. These figures have been certified by the TÜV NORd technical inspection agency.”