Since the end of 2020, the component site of Vrchlabí is Skoda’s first carbon neutral plant in the world. To achieve this, the company has systematically reduced energy consumption and switched to renewable sources. By doing so, the Bohemian builder was able to reduce CO2 emissions plant from 45,000 tons per year to the current level of 3,000 tons. The remaining emissions are balanced through offsetting measures and CO2 credits. Skoda has been producing the DQ200 seven-speed gearbox (DSG) in Vrchlabí since 2012, at an average rate of 2,300 units per day. Total production exceeded three million already in 2019.
“As an automotive manufacturer we have a particular responsibility for climate and environmental protection – pointed out Miroslav Kroupa, Head of Brand Management for Skoda – We started by achieving CO2 neutrality at our Vrchlabí site, which is among the most advanced in the world, and we are leading by example in terms of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency “. At the end of 2020, the Vrchlabí transmission plant became Skoda’s first carbon neutral production plant in the world, and the Mladá Boleslav and Kvasiny plants will soon follow the same path. Last year, 41,500 MWh of the total 47,000 MWh of energy needed for the Vrchlabí plant came from renewable sources, about 9%. As a result, emissions dropped from 45,000 tons per year to 3,000 tons.
The remaining CO2 emissions are balanced through the purchase of credits. By funding these certificates, Skoda supports environmental protection projects, such as projects for the production of renewable energy in India and projects for the conservation of the Amazon rainforest. At the Vrchlabí plant, careful management of energy consumption has saved more than 2,000 MWh of thermal energy and nearly 1,500 MWh of electricity only in the course of last year. In addition, the plant’s unused heating circuits have been closed, new intelligent room temperature control systems have been introduced and the air conditioning system has been optimized. In addition, the lighting of many rooms was aligned with the working hours. Since the beginning of 2019, all waste from the production process of the plant has been materially or thermally recycled – and all the factories of the Bohemian manufacturer have adapted to this procedure since the beginning of 2020. This year, Skoda has also started to use bio-methane from biogas plants instead of natural gas in Vrchlabí.