Audi announces it is joining the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) in line with its commitment to reduce water consumption.
The goal of carbon neutrality that we are increasingly hearing about from automobile manufacturers often encompasses resource optimisation goals such as water. With this in mind, Audi has announced that it has joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), a global coalition of companies, NGOs and the public sector dedicated to water stewardship along the value chain.
The membership reinforces Audi’s commitment to reducing water consumption as part of its ‘Mission:Zero’ environmental programme. Specifically, Audi aims to reduce its ecologically weighted water consumption per vehicle produced by 2035 at Audi’s five production sites from 3.75 to approximately 1.75 cubic metres. The ultimate goal is to stop using potable water in production. Board member for Procurement and IT, Dirk Grosse-Loheide, said:
“As a manufacturer, we have an obligation to ensure that we manage valuable resources diligently and sustainably throughout our value chain.
Our commitment to the AWS network is based on membership and cross-industry collaboration with its industry-leading companies. At the same time, it also provides an important platform for the exchange of ideas with other corporations.”
In the first instance, this step will enable the Audi site in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, to qualify for AWS certification. Audi’s San José Chiapa location is a pioneer in the economical use of water as a resource. Since 2018, the plant has been producing cars completely free of water discharge. Audi Mexico CEO Tarek Mashhour added: “Particularly in a country like Mexico, where there is a risk of drought, it is very important to use water in a way that conserves it as a resource.”
Currently, the Audi plant in Mexico has biological water treatment and a reverse osmosis system with a capacity of 320,000 cubic metres per year. This treatment system saves approximately 150,000 cubic metres of water per year by reintroducing it into the production processes.
On the way to reducing water consumption by Audi in the rest of its plants, the company currently has several actions and partnerships related to this issue. Specifically for the Audi Brussels plant, it is investing in the ‘Re-Use’ project, together with its Belgian partners Hydria, which aims to integrate the Brussels South wastewater treatment plant into the water supply for its production site, with anexpected saving of approximately 100,000 cubic metres of potable water per year.
At Audi’s Neckarsulm site, a project is also under way which aims to source all of its non-potable water from the wastewater treatment plant in Unteres Sulmtal, where Audi also directs its own wastewater. This action is expected to create a circle that will reduce the demand for fresh water by more than 70 per cent.
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