Press release - June 28, 2011
28 June 2011, international - Greenpeace today launched a major campaign against Europe's largest car manufacturer.
Stormtroopers at VW headquarters in Brussels
Master Yoda leads stormtroopers to VW's headquarters in Brussels on the day Greenpeace launched an international campaign to illustrate VW's dark side. The carmaker is using its political muscle to lobby against important environmental laws.
Across ten European countries and beyond, the environmental campaign group is highlighting Volkswagen’s role in blocking important EU environmental laws, despite its carefully crafted green credentials.
A new Greenpeace report released today details how VW:
* Is using its huge political muscle to lobby against key environmental laws
* Failed to reduce petrol consumption in their cars as quickly as other volume brands, despite promoting itself as a green company and claiming it wants to be "the most eco-friendly automaker in the world."
* Failed to introduce its lower-carbon 'Blue Motion' technology as standard across its fleet - even though doing so would make VW cars more efficient and reduce fuel costs for consumers.
The influence of Volkswagen stretches beyond its own car manufacturing. Over recent years VW has used its influence as the world's second largest car manufacturer to block key environmental legislation.
The company is the key player in an industry group, ACEA, which is lobbying to block Europe's key greenhouse gas initiative - the proposal to reduce emissions by 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. In a letter to Greenpeace in February 2011, VW claims this legislation would lead to 'the de-industrialisation of Europe'. But a new 30 percent target is supported by the governments of Denmark, the UK, Portugal, Sweden and Greece along with over 100 major international businesses including Unilever, IKEA, and Google who all believe it would make Europe's economy stronger and greener. (1) (2)
The new Greenpeace report also details how VW has been a significant voice in behind closed doors lobbying to oppose other important environmental laws, for example, pushing to block new vehicle efficiency measures in Europe, and joining efforts in the United States to block similar legislation there.
Ends
(1) http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/chrish_eulett/chrish_eulett.aspx
(2) http://www.theclimategroup.org/_assets/files/business_declaration__june_15_2011.pdf