Mercedes 2015 Annual Report Download - page 105

112 B | COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT | SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental protection
A comprehensive approach to environmental protection
Protecting the environment is a primary corporate objective of
the Daimler Group. Environmental protection is not separate
from other objectives at Daimler; instead, it is an integral com-
ponent of a corporate strategy aimed at long-term value
creation. Our measures for manufacturing environmentally
friendly products take the entire product lifecycle into
account – from design, production and product use all the way
to disposal and recycling. The environmental and energy-
related guidelines approved by the Board of Management define
the environmental and energy-related policy of the Daimler
Group. This expresses our commitment to integrated environ-
mental protection that begins with the underlying factors
that have an impact on the environment, assesses the environ-
mental effects of production processes and products in
advance, and takes these findings into account in corporate
decision-making.
€2.8 billion for environmental protection
In 2015, we continued to energetically pursue the goal of con-
serving resources and reducing all relevant emissions. We
kept a close eye on the impact of all our processes, ranging
from vehicle development and production to recycling and
environmentally friendly disposal. Our expenditure for environ-
mental protection remained nearly unchanged at €2.8 billion.
Environmentally responsible product development
A vehicle’s environmental impact is largely predetermined in
the first stages of development. The earlier that environmen-
tally responsible product development (design for environment,
DfE) is integrated into the development process, the more
efficiently it can help minimize the impact on the environment.
The continual improvement of our products’ environmental
compatibility is therefore a major requirement when setting
product specifications. Our DfE experts are involved in all
stages of the vehicle development process as a cross-functional
team. We also systematically integrate our product design
processes into our environmental and quality management
systems in accordance with ISO 14001 and ISO 9001.
Mercedes-Benz has been in full compliance with the relevant
standard – ISO 14006 – since 2012. Mercedes-Benz has
also been certified according to ISO TR 14062, the standard
for environmentally oriented product development, since
2005. It was the first automaker in the world to achieve this
certification.
Further reductions in cars’ CO2 emissions
Daimler makes great efforts to reduce the fuel consumption of
its vehicles while enhancing their performance – and thus
increasing driving enjoyment and safety reserves. With a fleet
average of 123 g/km (2014: 129 g/km), we once again signifi-
cantly reduced the average CO2 emissions of the cars we sell
in the European Union in 2015. We were thus ahead of sched-
ule in achieving our goal of reducing the CO2 emissions of our
new-vehicle fleet in the European Union to 125 g/km by 2016.
Our achievements here were due to the further optimization of
our BlueEFFICIENCY measures and the success of our efficient
hybrid drive systems and extremely fuel-efficient new models.
We have reduced the CO2 emissions of our cars by 18% since
2011 – and by 40% within just two vehicle generations. More
than 68 Mercedes-Benz models emit less than 120 g CO2/km
and more than 108 models have received A+ or A energy effi-
ciency labels.
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We plan to use innovative technologies for locally emission-free
mobility, and in particular new hybrid models, in order to
further reduce the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of our
cars. We have also continuously reduced the pollutant emis-
sions of our cars in recent years and have been able to meet
new emission requirements in advance – and ahead of our
competitors. At Mercedes-Benz, we were one of the first manu-
facturers to begin in 2009 with the introduction of the EURO 6
technology, which was not obligatory until September 2015.
Our BLUETEC technology and sustainable SCR exhaust treat-
ment technology make us a world leader for reducing diesel-
vehicle emissions. The cars with this equipment already
comply with the strictest emission standards. In addition, we
are continually further developing our emission control
systems. The next generation of cutting-edge diesel engines
will soon be launched and will be pioneers by fulfilling new
legislative requirements in advance in Europe.
140
130
120
110
100
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
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150
160
Average CO2 emissions of the new car fleet of Mercedes-Benz Cars
in the EU
g/km
123129 140134150