VWSA's Kariega plant on track to be carbon neutral by 2030

As a responsible manufacturer, exporter and corporate citizen, Volkswagen Group SA (VWSA) is constantly working to reduce its environmental footprint and become more sustainable in many aspects of its operations.

In line with the greater Volkswagen Group’s Zero Impact Factory programme, the VWSA plant in Kariega is laying the foundation for becoming a carbon-neutral plant by 2030. Through a variety of initiatives, the plant is well on its way to achieving this goal. 

Two focus areas are water management and electricity supply. The Kariega plant has installed solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of its engine plant and final assembly building, which are capable of generating 3,400MWh of electricity a year. This is fed into the grid to contribute to the electricity requirement for VWSA’s production processes. This single project has already reduced the company’s carbon footprint by 2,465 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The company is planning to install more solar panels in the near future.

The production process was also made more environmentally friendly with the establishment of a wastewater recycling facility, built inside the Kariega plant in 2021. The facility recycles up to 1,13kl of wastewater a day, which is reused for certain processes in the paint shop. This equates to about 26% of the water required by these processes. R20m has been invested in this project.

At the engine and component plant, 80% of the water being used originates from rainwater tanks installed at these sites. The tanks allow VWSA to harvest up to 520kl of rainwater, with plans to add more rainwater harvesting capacity in other areas.

Biodiversity is another action area for VWSA. Employees have rolled up their sleeves to show their commitment through annual volunteer initiatives aimed at supporting environmental programmes in Nelson Mandela Bay. The VWSA team has been planting water-wise spekboom plants at the Kariega plant since 2021 — replacing alien plant species that required more water. Through this project, VWSA estimates it has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by up to 2.5 tonnes a year.

The company has also taken a strong stance regarding waste reduction. Under its 2Y24 two-year improvement programme in production and logistics, various plastic waste reduction initiatives are under way. In just one of these programmes, the company has been able to reduce plastic waste by 42 tonnes a year.

The results speak for themselves: when it comes to the target areas set out by the Zero Impact Factory programme, VWSA achieved the following in 2022 (compared with the baseline set in 2010):

• 49% reduction in energy use;
• 52% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions;
• 68% reduction in water use;
• 73% reduction in waste;
• 32% reduction in solvent emissions; and
• 53.4% reduction in overall environmental impact.

The company is proud of these imperative environmental achievements and that its efforts have been widely recognised. In 2022, VWSA was named the winner of the SJM Flex Environmental Award at Exporters Eastern Cape's Exporter of the Year awards for the ninth time. The company has also recently been recognised in the international Lean & Green Management Awards.

“VWSA is committed to being environmentally responsible, and it shows,” says Ulrich Schwabe, production director at VWSA.

“Our achievements are the result of every employee sharing this commitment and we are thankful VWSA has been able to do its part in building a more environmentally sustainable future for the company and community.”

This article was sponsored by Volkswagen Group SA, which is a proud sponsor of the 2023 Exporter of the Year Awards taking place on October 20. These annual awards acknowledge the achievements of Eastern Cape exporters and service providers in the province.