Volkswagen Chattanooga received the Environmental Excellence Award at the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 36th Annual Environment and Energy Awards Conference.
“Every action counts when it comes to sustainability initiatives, and environmental responsibility has been top-of-mind for this plant since the beginning,” said Antonio Pinto, CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga. “We are proud of our work and are honored to receive this recognition. We take nothing for granted and continue our commitment to be a responsible company that makes a positive impact in our community.”
Bradley Jackson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber, said the Chattanooga facility has a major economic impact not only in Southeast Tennessee but also for the entire state.
“Running a world-class manufacturing facility while also making it a priority to be good stewards of the environment is a model for manufacturing in Tennessee,” he said.
Volkswagen Group of America’s commitment to Tennessee began with its decision in 2008 to build a plant in Chattanooga along with a promise of environmental stewardship in connection with the operation of the plant. Volkswagen committed to restoring the area wetlands, which were destroyed by the former occupants. As of 2018, the Volkswagen wetlands have grown from 40 to more than 88 acres.
Adjacent to the 88 acres of wetlands is the 33-acre Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park. The park contains 33,600 solar modules which produce 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. The electricity from the solar park meets more than 12 percent of the plant energy requirements during full production and 100 percent during non-production periods.
In 2011, Volkswagen’s Chattanooga manufacturing plant received a platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building certification program. The facility is the first and only automotive manufacturing plant in the world to receive the USGBC’s Platinum certification.