Serious about environment

As ordinary citizens, how often do we think about the environment and the effect it has on our daily lives?

Often we do not have an idea - either by choice or out of pure ignorance. The United Nations conference on climate taking place in Durban is one of the many initiatives by world leaders to reduce carbon emissions to save our planet.

Industry has started to play its part, including the motor industry.

In the past 10 years the automotive sector has been getting serious about issues of the environment.

More and more companies have developed, or are developing, new technologies that will ensure that cars do not harm the planet.

There's no question about the need for mobility. In fact, demand is increasing every day.

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz's BlueEfficiency technology is one example of what is happening in the motor industry.

Speaking at a press conference in Pretoria last week, Mercedes-Benz SA chief executive Dr Martin Zimmermann said his company had substantially reduced carbon emissions at its East London plant.

"We have reduced 28015 tons of CO2 over the past three years," Zimmermann said and proclaimed himself satisfied with the results.

Fuel efficient and environmentally sustainable premium automobiles, and state-of-the-art commercial vehicles from Mercedes-Benz are the cornerstones of an environmentally conscious Mercedes-Benz brand strategy, according to the company.

"Our aim is to substantially reduce fuel consumption and to minimise emissions today and completely eliminate them in the long run. To this end, we are developing cutting-edge drive technologies that meet current and future mobility requirements in all aspects of road traffic," he said.

"Our customers want safe, comfortable and powerful vehicles that are also extremely efficient and environmentally compatible. The key challenge is to make motor vehicles even more efficient and clean without compromising comfort or safety.

"By developing optimised vehicles with high-tech internal combustion engines, hybrid drives with a choice of output ratings, and electric vehicles with battery or fuel-cell, Mercedes-Benz is consciously taking a multi-lane route to ever more environmentally compatible, and eventually zero-emission, vehicles. In this way, it is possible to provide sustainable mobility with great variety at a high level," Zimmermann said.