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Daimler 360 GRAD - FAKTEN zur Nachhaltigkeit 2008
Daimler Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2008 / Environmental protection, innovation, and safety / Activities and goals
Activities and goals
Our environmental commitment: Activities and goals
One of the key environmental challenges involves the impact of human beings on the climate and the air quality
in the major metropolitan areas of the industrialized world and – more importantly – in the megacities of
emerging markets and developing countries. We are addressing this challenge, and others. We therefore have an
obligation to develop product and process innovations that reduce the environmental impact of our business
activities.
We have made substantial progress in reducing productionrelated emissions of CO 2 over the last few years
through the utilization of lower-carbon energy sources and heat-power co-generation units, as well as through
energy conservation, efficiency gains, and heat recovery systems. Integrated and downstream measures such as
the introduction of waterbased paints have also helped reduce solvent emissions. Through our “Road to the
Future” and “Shaping Future Transportation” initiatives, we are working hard to lower the fuel consumption and
exhaust gas emissions of our passenger cars and commercial vehicles. CDI technology, gasoline direct injection
(CGI), our seven-speed automatic transmission, and the new-generation smart fortwo offer examples of
technologies and products that have already led to a significant improvement in the fuel economy of our
passenger cars. Our innovative BLUETEC technology, which we introduced initially in our commercial vehicles
and now also in our diesel passenger cars, has made a major contribution to reducing particulate and nitrogen
oxide emissions. And the technology package of BLUETEC combined with hybrid modules will lower vehicle
emissions even further in the future. Hybrid technology is becoming more important in the commercial vehicle
segment as well, where it can reduce diesel fuel consumption by as much as one-third, depending on how the
vehicle in question is used.