Carmaker Audi AG is starting a new corporate environmental foundation to bring together all the company's worldwide environmental measures into measures that extend beyond the realm of automobiles.
Additionally, the company is pledging to cut emissions associated with its vehicle fleet 20 percent by 2012.
Audi is putting $7.5 million into the Audi Environmental Foundation, according to Green Autoblog.
"Environmental protection doesn't occur in a vacuum. Our corporate operations can be truly sustainable only if we collectively see the big picture via pioneering projects which we will initiate through our environmental foundation," said Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production of Audi, and chairman of the board of trustees, in a press release.
Within its own operations, the carmaker is tapping into previously unused waste heat at its Ingolstadt plant in order to gain efficiencies and reduce emissions. Audi estimates the that tapping into the 120,000 MWh of unused waste heat will help reduce emissions by 26,000 metric tons.
Audi has begun selling a new diesel car, the A3 TDI, which gets 42 miles per gallon and reduces emissions 30 percent.
In other news, the company is developing a high-performance electric sports car, reports CNET.
