Mercedes-Benz Cars plants to become CO₂-neutral
In Germany and Europe, Mercedes-Benz Cars paves the way for green production. All German plants will be supplied with CO₂-neutral energy. The preparations for exclusively green electricity for a climate-friendly production in Europe are already well advanced.
From 2022, the production of our Mercedes-Benz plants in Germany will operate CO₂-neutral. Thereby, we completely forego coal-based electricity and obtain our electrical energy from only renewable sources. Today, new plants in Europe are already planned with a CO₂-neutral energy supply from the start. The decision also fits with our overall strategy. As part of the electric offensive, Mercedes-Benz Cars counts on local emission-free vehicles. With a CO₂-neutral energy supply of the plants, we are consistently pursuing this approach and are actively driving sustainability in production.
In Germany, Mercedes-Benz Cars has eight vehicle and powertrain plants (Bremen, Rastatt, Sindelfingen, Berlin, Hamburg, Kamenz, Kölleda, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim), which either purchase electricity or operate their own power plants. In the future, 100 percent of additional purchased electricity will come from verifiable renewable sources, such as wind- and hydropower. This corresponds to about three quarters of the required electricity in the German plants. Already existing high efficient gas CHP systems additionally generate local heat and power at our factories. The thereby resulting CO₂-emissions are compensated by qualified environmental projects.
New plants in Germany and Europe are planned with a CO₂-neutral energy supply from the start:
- Already today, the entire electricity demand of the smart plant in Hambach (France) is obtained from renewable energy sources.
- At the location Kecskemét (Hungary) a second plant with a highly flexible and efficient production, which will be supplied CO₂-neutral, is currently built.
- In Jawor (Poland), a new CO₂-neutral engine plant is built. The plant will start operating in 2019.
- The “Factory 56” is currently built in the Sindelfingen plant (Germany). According to its slogan – digital, flexible, green - it will set standards within the worldwide automobile production. The production hall uses renewable energy and reduces water consumption and waste significantly. On the roof of “Factory 56” there is a photovoltaic system which supplies the shop with self-produced green electricity.
