--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Turning the Tide image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Turning the Tide The problem is clear: we all need to play a part in saving the planet. Audi advances more sustainability efforts under the watchful eye of a climate expert. Spencer Reeder, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs for Audi of America, has quite the resumé. He has worked on climate policy for the state of Washington, served as a lead author on the U.S. National Climate Assessment, and was a finalist for the NASA astronaut program - not once, but twice. So how does a climate expert come to work for an automotive corporation? “Audi believes in climate change and addresses the entire value chain. Audi is a brand and a company that is committed to transforming and I knew this through a direct conversation with the president of Audi of America. He told me he needed my contribution to the brand and he assured me that Audi was committed to change.” For Reeder, this is more than a career move - it is a vital step forward in his lifelong mission. Led by science and a strong desire to be the change, the Audi Mexico production plant situated in San José Chiapa, is focused on climate conservation. “Environmentally conscious mobility is only possible with production that consistently keeps sustainability in mind. That's what we're working on with Mission:Zero," says Rüdiger Recknagel, Environmental Protection Officer of the Audi Group and Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation. One thing is clear for Audi: economic success and environmental protection are inextricably linked. "Mission:Zero" focuses on the four fields of action: decarbonization, water use, resource efficiency and biodiversity. Audi is aiming to be net-CO₂ neutral by 2050\. In view of increasing water shortages and declining drinking water quality in industrialized regions, Audi also relies on efficient processes and water cycles in its production facilities. Each day, hundreds of Audi Q5 vehicles are crafted at the Audi Mexico plant and put through rigorous testing. From the paint shop to the leak test – water is necessary throughout the entire manufacturing process of a vehicle. “If you think about the industry and the volume of water that we use, it is incumbent on us to take this quite seriously.” Powered by the desire to tackle water scarcity, the Audi Mexico facility is the first premium automotive assembly plant to manufacture vehicles without creating wastewater during production. The treatment system at the San José Chiapa site catches 100 percent of the wastewater created during vehicle production, cleans it, and feeds large quantities back into the plant's water cycle. Through this technological process, Audi Mexico ensures a more sustainable use of water as a resource and keeps the environmental impact of its vehicle production to a minimum. The commitment of Audi to water conservation has allowed them to assume a technological pioneering role in the industry. With the innovative process at the plant, Audi Mexico is already saving approximately 100,000 cubic meters of water per year compared to when the plant began operations. This equates to around a quarter of the plant’s current total water requirements. This corresponds to around a quarter of the plant’s current total water requirements. In the long term, Audi wants to save more than 300,000 cubic meters of groundwater annually. Furthering their commitment, Audi recently joined the Alliance for Water Stewardship initiative to ensure that they are a part of a larger conversation about conserving water and looking holistically at water conservation within the industry. “These are incredibly important precedents that will allow other factories to learn from the successes here at Audi. We’re committed to this trajectory of a better future. It is my job to push us to do more, but I feel very good about my contributions and the sense of urgency that exists in the company to accelerate change.” And it is this sense of urgency that drives Audi to the forefront, creating waves of change that are rippling across the industry. [](https://jadserve.postrelease.com/trk?ntv%5Fat=4&ntv%5Fui=d3fb957a-715c-4767-bbd3-cd6137b5f9ba&ntv%5Fa=NvgHAglpZAt%5F8PA&ntv%5Ffl=H8%5FNIX%5FfVs0Ik5QLWe2EYDnxbyZNxhovkyA9nINqyQ2Aou6szTrvcrwLVvtWMuZIqhc1liNVUXgviNC0En3GfqGWvbrixIBfiuFVJMkkbPOeteZ8EbYplDpwruaa7LpoHojA%5FofFSHQMHFjZNbr628J%5FNurhY6C1XsZbUFc9rdohjhHHcI43imSuSpCgCQm1A4r5J%5FDlTGUfQOSsdsr7kXDn3Cy9am58T783nwf6Yn70OqSSmQkSYi6Ifs1qXJjONssP2HH%5FMAd%5FTUSrKsCfI6UbKZVivFCtDtdjaLtXTI3TjdADrOXqlX8XYd6MIcI4DcdPBIlqpVOHxt6hyYAMSNPv99-uGUtqgK6Yxs0M79akYbI4mcD4l%5FDz2TCT0-eN8gYWSo7eXQHvDp3TzOLcmQyOtAbl8PQmBFKSNu5nM9J5jwwHXwf-jrRkibT7bP1LKRWlNDMsR05rKDw8jNLZqQDXrSrGgMLb79PYbNjusks=&ord=1655038078&ntv%5Fht=Xz4MagA) One thing is clear for Audi: economic success and environmental protection are inextricably linked. "Mission:Zero" focuses on the four fields of action: decarbonisation, water use, resource efficiency and biodiversity. [Find Out More](https://jadserve.postrelease.com/trk?ntv%5Fat=4&ntv%5Fui=d3fb957a-715c-4767-bbd3-cd6137b5f9ba&ntv%5Fa=NvgHAglpZAt%5F8PA&ntv%5Ffl=H8%5FNIX%5FfVs0Ik5QLWe2EYDnxbyZNxhovkyA9nINqyQ2Aou6szTrvcrwLVvtWMuZIqhc1liNVUXgviNC0En3GfqGWvbrixIBfiuFVJMkkbPOeteZ8EbYplDpwruaa7LpoHojA%5FofFSHQMHFjZNbr628J%5FNurhY6C1XsZbUFc9rdohjhHHcI43imSuSpCgCQm1A4r5J%5FDlTGUfQOSsdsr7kXDn3Cy9am58T783nwf6Yn70OqSSmQkSYi6Ifs1qXJjONssP2HH%5FMAd%5FTUSrKsCfI6UbKZVivFCtDtdjaLtXTI3TjdADrOXqlX8XYd6MIcI4DcdPBIlqpVOHxt6hyYAMSNPv99-uGUtqgK6Yxs0M79akYbI4mcD4l%5FDz2TCT0-eN8gYWSo7eXQHvDp3TzOLcmQyOtAbl8PQmBFKSNu5nM9J5jwwHXwf-jrRkibT7bP1LKRWlNDMsR05rKDw8jNLZqQDXrSrGgMLb79PYbNjusks=&ord=1655038078&ntv%5Fht=Xz4MagA) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/"},"headline":"Turning the Tide","datePublished":"2026-07-20T09:47:18.325Z","dateModified":"2026-07-20T09:47:11.607Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/","name":"Turning the Tide"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"B78C418593EC465184BA64A116166927","description":"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lQE9u9EC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-05-20T10:31:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lQE9u9EC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/","duration":"PT2M53S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/branded-content/audi/turning-the-tide/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```