Audi towards carbon neutrality: also the Ingolstadt site will operate with zero emissions
A further step towards the goal of making all Audi plants carbon neutral by 2025, as part of the environmental program Mission:Zero.
From January 1, 2024, production at Audi Ingolstadt site will be carbon neutral; the main plant of the four-ring brand will be the third to achieve this goal after Brussels (Belgium, 2018) and Győr (Hungary, 2020). These will be joined by the Böllinger Höfe site of excellence, where the Audi e-tron GT quattro is born. In the course of 2024, production of the Audi Q6 e-tron, the brand's first 100 percent electric model based on the innovative PPE platform, will start in Ingolstadt itself.
As part of its Mission:Zero environmental program, Audi has set itself the goal of achieving net carbon neutrality at all its production facilities worldwide by 2025. By then, the final steps will have been taken in Neckarsulm (Germany) and San José Chiapa (Mexico).
Renewable energy
"Sustainability is one of the cornerstones of Audi's corporate strategy. By transitioning the Ingolstadt site to renewable energies, we are taking a major step toward our goal of net carbon-neutral vehicle production. " said Gerd Walker, Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics. The strategy to achieve this goal rests on four pillars: the first involves improving energy efficiency of the sites to reduce CO2 emissions; in 2022, measures implemented at Audi Ingolstadt saved more than 35,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy, preventing more than 5,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Four pillars
The second pillar involves generating renewable energy in-house: for this, 23,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels have been installed in Ingolstadt and other measures are being implemented. In the coming years, the share of self-generated energy will continue to increase at all production sites. The third pillar concerns energy procurement, which has to be completely carbon neutral. Already since 2012, all production in Ingolstadt has been using green electricity, defining Audi as a pioneer of sustainability in the automotive industry at the time. "A neighboring refinery and the municipal waste recycling plant supply the main plant with net carbon-neutral waste heat. Additionally, we have secured large quantities of biogas to ensure a net carbon-neutral heat supply." explained Rüdiger Recknagel, Head of Environmental Protection at Audi. In this way, the Ingolstadt plant covers almost all of its energy needs, including logistics within the plant, with renewable sources. Finally, the fourth pillar provides that unavoidable CO2 emissions (a maximum of 10 percent of the original carbon emissions) are offset by purchasing carbon credits certified according to the highest quality standards, such as Gold Standard.
Mission:Zero
Decarbonization is just one part of the Mission:Zero environmental program, which also addresses issues such as the application of circular economy principles, biodiversity protection and conservation, and resource efficiency. Audi intends to implement closed cycles of highly energy-intensive raw materials such as plastic, water, aluminum, glass, steel, and paper. Already since 2019, a water supply center has been in operation in Ingolstadt, enabling the reuse of wastewater. In addition, in 2023 Audi became the first premium manufacturer to join the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS). By 2035, Audi plans to halve water consumption per vehicle produced in its plants worldwide. The model to follow is the San José Chiapa (Mexico) plant, which has been building cars without producing any wastewater since 2018 and is therefore the benchmark for responsible use of water resources.

Biodiversity
Audi's commitment to the protection of biodiversity at all production sites goes beyond participation in the "Biodiversity in Good Company" initiative: a prime example is the open spaces at the Münchsmünster site near Ingolstadt, which were designed to remain close to their natural form and are among the company's main measures taken in this area. A habitat for various animal and plant species has been created on an area of about 17 hectares.
360 factory
With the 360factory plan, Audi will transform its global production network with a holistic approach that pays equal attention to issues such as economic and environmental sustainability, flexibility, and
attractiveness. The creation of incampus through the redevelopment of a former industrial site is an excellent example of this vision: the facility is an offshoot of the main plant and was created by redeveloping a 75-hectare brownfield site through a joint venture between Audi AG and the City of Ingolstadt. incampus is a technology park built without occupying new land; 15 hectares have been set aside for environmental compensation areas.
Source: AUDI AG
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