Audi broadens supplier sustainability program with ASI, Copper Mark, water and circular-economy partnerships

Audi's supply chain management sets environmental, social and compliance standards for business partners, covering human rights, occupational health and safety, environmental management and responsible business practices. Audi contractually requires partners to follow the Code of Conduct for Business Partners and uses risk-based checks to verify compliance. The company says working in partnership with suppliers is the right way to meet these goals.

Audi is a long-time member of the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI), helping develop a global aluminum standard for the Chain of Custody and environmental and social criteria. The standard requires mining companies to address ecological, social and governance concerns when mining bauxite and to consider local residents, with indigenous peoples' representatives integrated into ASI's structure. Audi's Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Győr sites are certified under both the ASI Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard, and Audi was the first carmaker to receive both certificates. The company requires ASI-certified materials in selected material groups and is expanding this requirement. Its Aluminium Closed Loop returns production residues to the material cycle, cutting primary aluminum use and lowering the carbon footprint.

Audi, via the Volkswagen Group, partners with The Copper Mark, which promotes transparency and due diligence in the copper value chain. AUDI AG has been a partner since 2023 and holds an advisory board seat, while MAN Truck & Bus SE has been a partner since 2022. The Volkswagen Group is a founding member of the Drive Sustainability Initiative, a partnership of 16 leading automotive companies under CSR Europe, which improves risk analysis, transparency and recyclability. Audi works within DRIVE on the Raw Material Outlook and the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire, part of the Group's S-Rating process, and supports on-site projects.

Audi joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) in 2023 as the first premium carmaker. Through the Audi Water Stewardship Program, the company works with supply chain partners to collect and assess water-related risks such as availability, consumption and quality. Since the start of 2025, AUDI AG has been a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a non-profit promoting a circular economy. Audi says this collaboration helps it anchor Design for Circularity principles in development and design, creating circular solutions along the value chain.

The Audi CO₂ program in the supply chain, initiated in 2018, aims to reduce the carbon footprint before vehicle production by increasing green electricity use, incorporating secondary materials and using low-carbon steel and aluminum. The Act4Impact initiative supports supplier companies with training and work materials on human rights, environmental due diligence, risk-based supply chain processes and documentation. Topics include human rights due diligence, grievance management, energy and emissions, biodiversity, circular economy, water and sustainability innovation. The program's results depend on how participating companies implement it.