Energy Management
We are continuously working to increase our energy efficiency. We are also looking to generate more of our own electricity from renewable sources.
Energy management is an important means of increasing our efficiency and thus leveraging economic and environmental potential – it is also essential for achieving our climate protection target. Our on-site energy officers are responsible energy planning at the individual locations. In addition to systematic data capture, this involves regular energetic evaluations as well as documenting planned and implemented measures. All activities are monitored and managed by a central controlling unit. In the reporting year, our energy management system was re-certified according to DIN EN ISO 50001 at 26 locations. At other locations, pending energy audits according to DIN EN 16247 were completed. Our environment management system has been certified in accordance with DIN EN ISO 14001 since 2014 at all German locations in the AUTOMOBILE Division as well as eight more contract logistics centers.
This report for the first time also includes the energy consumption figures for our fully consolidated foreign locations; however, our overall focus remains strongly on Germany. One reason for this is that at 85 percent Germany accounts for the lion’s share of the energy requirement, another is that the foreign locations for the most part assume responsibility for this topic themselves. In the remainder of this section, therefore, graphics and analyses relate to our fully consolidated German sites unless stated otherwise.
Basis: Calculating our consumption data
In order to permanently reduce our energy consumption – and hence greenhouse gas emissions – we need to know precisely where energy is consumed. For this, we rely on decentralized recording, validation and evaluation by our energy officers on site. Not included are sites, plants and vehicles whose energy consumption we cannot control. The consumption of all fully consolidated companies is aggregated and calculated by the central Sustainability and Digitalization department as part of the annual energy and CO2 accounting.
Parallel to formulating our new climate protection target, we also published a revised version of our energy policy that has been in force since 2016. In addition, in interviews conducted with our energy officers in 2020 we evaluated the tools used to capture data and document measures taken. Subsequently, optimization proposals were developed, among other things for the renewal of these tools and also for best practice communication. The results from the survey were also factored into the specifications for comprehensive energy management software for evaluation, analysis and documentation, which it is planned to select in the course of 2021 and introduce across the company in a timely manner.
Percentage share of energy consumption 2020
broken down according to divisions and business areas
Energy consumption in the reporting year
Our global energy consumption in 2020 was 263 million kWh, with the German locations accounting for 222 million kWh of this amount. Here, 59 percent of the total consumption was attributable to the AUTOMOBILE Division, while car transports and their consumption of diesel fuel were, in turn, the biggest consumer with 41 percent. In industrial and retail logistics, which are both included in the CONTRACT Division, the biggest consumers were cross-sectional technologies such as heating and air conditioning technology and lighting. Compared with the previous year, we were able to report savings for all energy sources with the exception of district heating. However, the 8.8 percent reduction in energy consumption for the reporting year must also be seen against the background of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
