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Greenpeace seems to be on the offensive. Just ask local Eskom workers who recently had to walk around a small mountain of a coal to get into their offices after five tons of the black stuff was dumped at the gate to their Sandton headquaters by the environmental activists.
In its latest campaign, Greenpeace has targeted Volkswagen, which it claims has exaggerated its green record and resisted attempts to make its popular models, such as the Golf, more fuel-efficient.
According to The Independent, the environmental group released a report claiming that VW had made less progress on fuel-efficiency than its rivals. More startling is that Greenpeace claims VW is actively seeking to hamper EU plans to reduce climate-change emissions by 2020.
The report, entitled 'The Dark Side of Volkswagen', states that the German automaker puts its most-efficient engines in only 6% of its models while inflating their price.
LEAST GREEN AUTOMAKER?
The group intends to continue to target VW through a series of publicity stunts starting with a campaign poster in London showing Darth Vader with the brand’s logo and the words "Volkswagen. The Dark Side".
VW has pushed the green envelope with its clean engine technologies - one such is its BlueMotion engine which allows its most environmentally-friendly Golf derivative to achieve a C02 rating of 99g/km. VW also claims to have reduced its average CO2 emissions by 7.8%.
Greenpeace counters this by stating that the BlueMotion technology is only featured in the minority of the Golf variants while VW has remained behind its competitors in terms of reducing emissions and has shown an unwillingness to change.
Greenpeace said: "The truth is that the Volkswagen Group has lagged behind its competitors for years. It only stepped up progress on CO2 reductions once a legal framework was put in place that forced it do so. It has shown no ability or willingness to voluntarily deliver the innovation or technology changes required.
"Now Volkswagen is openly opposed to the agreed 2020 standard that would benefit motorists, the economy and the environment."
VW, jointly owned by Qatar Petroleum and the German state of Lower Saxony, said it had not had time to respond to Greenpeace's report. Instead, the automaker reiterated its statement to Greenpeace sent in February 2011...
"It is the goal of the Volkswagen Group to be the industry leader in innovation and in the environmental performance of the company and its products."
The environmental group has also launched a viral video campaign against VW on YouTube. In the video child-like versions of 'Star Wars' characters battle Darth Vader who ultimately uses his VW-branded Death Star to destroy the earth.
Is Greenpeace on to something, or is its anti-Volkswagen campaign little more than propaganda? Tell us what you think in our comments section below.
In its latest campaign, Greenpeace has targeted Volkswagen, which it claims has exaggerated its green record and resisted attempts to make its popular models, such as the Golf, more fuel-efficient.
According to The Independent, the environmental group released a report claiming that VW had made less progress on fuel-efficiency than its rivals. More startling is that Greenpeace claims VW is actively seeking to hamper EU plans to reduce climate-change emissions by 2020.
The report, entitled 'The Dark Side of Volkswagen', states that the German automaker puts its most-efficient engines in only 6% of its models while inflating their price.
LEAST GREEN AUTOMAKER?
The group intends to continue to target VW through a series of publicity stunts starting with a campaign poster in London showing Darth Vader with the brand’s logo and the words "Volkswagen. The Dark Side".
VW has pushed the green envelope with its clean engine technologies - one such is its BlueMotion engine which allows its most environmentally-friendly Golf derivative to achieve a C02 rating of 99g/km. VW also claims to have reduced its average CO2 emissions by 7.8%.
Greenpeace counters this by stating that the BlueMotion technology is only featured in the minority of the Golf variants while VW has remained behind its competitors in terms of reducing emissions and has shown an unwillingness to change.
Greenpeace said: "The truth is that the Volkswagen Group has lagged behind its competitors for years. It only stepped up progress on CO2 reductions once a legal framework was put in place that forced it do so. It has shown no ability or willingness to voluntarily deliver the innovation or technology changes required.
"Now Volkswagen is openly opposed to the agreed 2020 standard that would benefit motorists, the economy and the environment."
VW, jointly owned by Qatar Petroleum and the German state of Lower Saxony, said it had not had time to respond to Greenpeace's report. Instead, the automaker reiterated its statement to Greenpeace sent in February 2011...
"It is the goal of the Volkswagen Group to be the industry leader in innovation and in the environmental performance of the company and its products."
The environmental group has also launched a viral video campaign against VW on YouTube. In the video child-like versions of 'Star Wars' characters battle Darth Vader who ultimately uses his VW-branded Death Star to destroy the earth.
Is Greenpeace on to something, or is its anti-Volkswagen campaign little more than propaganda? Tell us what you think in our comments section below.
