Volkswagen is the World´s Most Sustainable Automaker worldwide

Wolfsburg, September 13, 2013 /3BL Media/ – For the first time, the Volkswagen Group has been listed as the most sustainable automaker in the world’s leading sustainability ranking. RobecoSAM AG classed the company as the Industry Group Leader in the automobiles and components sector in this year’s review of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). The review analyzed the corporate economic, environmental, and social sustainability performance of a total of 31 automotive companies, seven of them from Europe, with reference to criteria such as environmental and climate protection strategy, innovation management and corporate social responsibility.

The Chairman of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, commented: "This distinction is a real milestone on our path towards becoming the leader in green mobility. We will devote all our energy to permanently establishing the Volkswagen Group as the world’s most sustainable automaker." The Chairman of the General Works Council of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Bernd Osterloh, said: "This honor testifies to our swift progress in systematically orienting the entire Group to maximum energy and resource efficiency. This success is undoubtedly attributable to the whole team. We will continue to focus on sustainable management – throughout the entire value chain."

For financial investors, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index is the most significant benchmark for measuring the corporate performance of the world’s most sustainable companies. Thanks to improvements in all areas, Volkswagen moved into first place, and has been included in the prestigious DJSI World and DJSI Europe along with BMW and Fiat.

The experts from RobecoSAM substantiated their decision to award 89 out of a possible 100 points to the top-ranked company by highlighting achievements such as "the great efforts to improve fleet fuel consumption" in the context of the ambitious goals to lower CO2 emissions, and the binding commitment to sustainability targets in Strategy 2018. Full marks were awarded to the Volkswagen Group in many areas such as the company’s environmental management system, risk management and positive community engagement.

Coinciding with the new ranking in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Volkswagen Group has also achieved a significant improvement in the view of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). According to the CDP Global 500 Climate Change Report 2013 which has just been published, the company is now listed in both the CDP Global 500 Climate Performance Leadership Index and the CDP Global 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index for the first time. The report analyzes the initiatives of the world’s largest listed companies in addressing countermeasures against climate change.

The classification in Performance Band A with a disclosure score of 99 out of a possible 100 points confirms that the quality of the environmental data published by the Volkswagen Group is recognized as being exemplary. At the same time, the performance data themselves rank among the best. This year, the Volkswagen Group was one of the signatories to a climate change program which according to the CDP report was initiated by 722 investors with assets of US $87 billion, bringing transparency to a very large volume of information on climate protection measures and thus enabling verification. The Carbon Disclosure Project describes itself as an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information.