Green electricity, solar power and heat from biomass: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) strikes a sustainable balance at its plants. The brand looks back on a year with key sustainability milestones at its production sites. In recent months, far-reaching projects have been implemented at the plants: from the complete switch to green electricity through self-sufficient operation with solar energy in Września to the commissioning of a biomass CHP plant (municipal energy company enercity) in Hanover. This brings the goal of balance sheet climate-neutral production by 2040 tangibly closer.
Last year, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles made decisive progress in CO2 reduction, the use of renewable energies and the circular economy. Steffen Reiche, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Production and Logistics at VWCV: “Sustainability is not a short-term goal for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, but a permanent commitment. With the switch to green electricity, the expansion of renewable energies and innovative partner projects such as the biomass CHP plant in Hanover, we are consistently focusing on sustainable solutions – and will thus save more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide this year. We are boosting regional value creation, securing jobs and making an active contribution to climate protection. Our goal is clear: by 2040, we want the production processes at all locations to be climate-neutral and thus assume responsibility for the environment and society.”
Renewable energy for the plants: electricity, solar and sustainable heat
VWCV places a consistent focus on sustainability in the energy supply of its production sites. Since January 2025, the Hanover plant has been operating exclusively with electricity from renewable sources. The Polish sites in Poznań and Września have been fully converted to green electricity since 2019. Climate-friendly power supply is therefore a key area of leverage for reducing CO2 emissions and conserving resources.
A particular success was achieved in Września: the in-house photovoltaic system with 31,000 modules and 18.3 megawatts of output supplied solar energy to all of the plant’s production facilities for the first time in September 2024. On average, the system covers around 25 per cent of the electricity demand each year, and further projects for the use of renewable energies are already being planned.
Heating savings of 40 per cent in Hanover: VWCV is also working with regional partners on sustainable solutions for heat supply. With the commissioning of the biomass combined heat and power plant by the regional energy company enercity, the share of climate-neutral district heating in Hanover will increase significantly. The innovative plant uses only non-recyclable waste wood from the region and combines waste wood incineration with a large heat pump and modern flue gas cleaning. This means that fuels are almost completely recycled and emissions are significantly reduced. For VWCV, this means a more than 40-per-cent reduction in CO2 emissions for thermal energy compared with 2024.
Sustainability as a corporate strategy
“Sustainability is far more than a corporate goal for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – it is our compass for responsible action and long-term success,” says Petra Schreiber, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We combine ecological responsibility with economic strength and social commitment.”
The brand pursues the goal of advancing climate protection and producing balance sheet climate-neutral at all production sites by 2040 at the latest.
