Audi China initiates urban biodiversity program, promoting sustainability

The theme of this year's International Day for Biological Diversity, which falls on Monday, focuses on action, urging people to speed up their efforts to protect the Earth's ecosystems.

"Now that the world has the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the focus must quickly shift to its implementation," said the United Nations, explaining the theme "From Agreement to Action: Build Back Biodiversity".

In late 2022, parties to the COP15 adopted the Kunming-Montreal framework, fostering a global consensus on biodiversity governance, which the UN said instills a renewed sense of hope into this year's global celebrations.

"Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations … but loss of biodiversity threatens all, including our health," said the UN.

Many individuals and companies alike have been doing their part. Premium carmaker Audi China recently launched a program in Beijing dedicated to biodiversity in Chinese cities.

The Audi China Biodiverse City Program focuses on urban biodiversity conservation and encourages urban residents and Audi stakeholders to adopt green lifestyles.

The program aims to build green, beautiful and livable Chinese cities and foster green development in China to contribute to global sustainable development, said the carmaker.

"Audi attaches great importance to the harmonious coexistence of people and nature in cities. The Audi China Biodiverse City Program is a new chapter in our corporate social responsibility in China," said Audi China President Juergen Unser.

"Through this program, we spotlight urban biodiversity conservation, and hope to explore innovative ways to promote sustainable development and China's green development and transformation. We also look forward to collaborating with more stakeholders to build greener, more beautiful and livable cities that are rich in biodiversity in China," he said.

On May 12, the launch day of the program, Audi China joined hands with stakeholders in a field survey of urban bird biodiversity in Beijing, under the guidance of Friends of Nature, one of the first environmental organizations in the country.

Audi China and Friends of Nature also launched the "Biodiverse City Guardian" initiative, encouraging urban residents to make green lifestyle choices including transportation.

The initiative also aims to promote participation in natural city conservation efforts — protecting nature in urban environments.

Audi China and Friends of Nature said they will be releasing the Beijing Biodiverse City Birdwatching Guidebook later this year, offering information about birdwatching spots in the city.

The effort aims to popularize urban biodiversity knowledge and raise public awareness of urban biodiversity protection in China.

Liu Jinmei, director-general of Friends of Nature, said: "As urbanization accelerates in China, cities play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation."

"As one of the earliest environmental social organizations in China, we appreciate Audi China putting their focus on urban biodiversity and taking practical actions to support this cause. We look forward to extending the reach of nature to more corners of the city through our future efforts," said Liu.

Through innovative measures in urban biodiversity conservation, Audi China aims to promote the green development and transformation of Chinese society.

Audi has long made ESG, which stands for environmental, social and governance, the cornerstone of its corporate decision-making, contributing to global sustainable development with its progressive attitude.

With the Vorsprung 2030 Strategy, Audi has been systematically advancing its transformation toward a sustainable business model with an explicit timeline for its e-transformation.

In 2021, Audi was the first German premium vehicle manufacturer to announce the phasing out of internal combustion engines.

Under its road map, all new models from 2026 launched by Audi in the global market will be fully electric. The production of vehicles with internal combustion engines will be phased out by 2033.

In China, Audi is continuously expanding its fleet of localized electric vehicles.

In 2022, Audi and its partners established the Audi FAW NEV Company in Changchun, Jilin province, to build all-electric models based on the Premium Platform Electric, or PPE, it co-developed with Porsche.

In 2023, Audi is poised for its most significant product offensive in history with the launch of the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q5 e-tron Roadjet SUVs as well as the Audi Q6 e-tron — the first production model based on the PPE platform — in the second half of the year.

Audi said it plans to offer five locally produced all-electric models in the Chinese market by 2025.

Besides its products, Audi aims to reduce its carbon footprint in production and logistics, as part of its "Mission: Zero" program that has a focus on decarbonization, water usage, resource efficiency and biodiversity.

Audi said its production sites worldwide are set to operate with net carbon neutrality by 2025.

In 2018, its Brussels plant was certified as the world's first carbon-neutral high-volume production plant in the premium segment.

Meanwhile, at FAW-Volkswagen Audi's MEB plant in Foshan, Guangdong province, car production relies completely on renewable electricity. This is also true at SAIC Volkswagen's Anting base in Shanghai.

The Audi FAW NEV Company in Changchun is also working toward the goal of "becoming a carbon-neutral factory" and is set to become the first plant in China to thoroughly implement the Mission: Zero program with the incorporation of energy-saving and sustainable technologies throughout its production process.

The company is working with its suppliers to cut emissions. Back in 2018, Audi launched an "Audi CO2 program in the supply chain", working with suppliers to identify carbon emission reduction measures. In 2022, Audi was able to reduce net carbon emissions by more than 375,000 metric tons in its supply chain.

Audi has also extended its sustainability efforts into the efficient and sustainable use of natural resources, such as recycled aluminum, glass and chemicals.

The carmaker is dedicated to the innovative exploration of sustainability to build green, beautiful and livable cities through green actions.

Besides its own initiatives, Audi is playing a part in its parent company's campaigns.

It has been involved in Volkswagen Group China's Green Belt project, which aims to plant around 8.5 million trees in 10 ecologically vulnerable areas across provinces and autonomous regions such as Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Ningxia between 2021-30.

The effort is expected to help prevent desertification, revitalize the local economy and improve people's quality of life in the country's less-developed regions.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn