1986
All Mercedes-Benz passenger cars equipped with three-way catalytic converters as standard

The controlled three-way catalytic converter represents the most effective emission-control technology for passenger-car petrol engines as it transforms pollutants into non-toxic secondary compounds. Catalyst technology has been refined in recent years, especially with regard to its efficiency during the engine´s cold-running phase.
Mercedes‑Benz diesel models are equipped with special oxidation catalysts which reduce the gaseous pollutants in the diesel exhaust flow by chemically binding them with oxygen (oxidation).

1997
Environmentally compatible disposal of end-of-life vehicles

July: Official opening of the Mercedes‑Benz end-of-life vehicle and parts centre (MB ATC GmbH) in Obertürkheim. In establishing this environmentally compatible end-of-life vehicle disposal centre, Daimler-Benz ensures that raw materials can be reused by maximising the extent to which used Mercedes‑Benz parts are returned to the production cycle. In so doing, the Stuttgart-based car manufacturer is not only assuming a leading role in the vehicle recycling initiative which the car industry and industry associations have imposed on themselves, but is also setting new standards for recycling and environmentally compatible disposal.

2002
10 years on: progress report on the POEMA project

Mercedes‑Benz has been one of the driving forces behind the "Poverty and Environment in Amazonia Research and Development Programme" from the very start. The POEMA project in the Belém area has been set up to explore the possibilities for making sustainable use of the tropical rainforest in order to provide the local population with a source of income and opportunities. Deforestation, slash-and-burn clearance and over-exploitation of this priceless resource can only be prevented by presenting alternatives. Within the context of the POEMA project, small farming families harvest coconut fibre and either process it themselves or supply it to POEMAtec, the natural-fibre products company which was established in 2001.
It has been found that coconut fibre is an ideal, sustainable resource for use in vehicle manufacturing. As a result, Mercedes‑Benz is now using more natural fibres in its products than ever before. Coconut fibre is used in head restraints, and sun visors, as well as for padding seats and bunks in Mercedes‑Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The project has received several awards.

2002
Conserving resources

Since 1990, a number of technical measures have made it possible to reduce the annual volume of non-reusable hazardous waste generated by the DaimlerChrysler plant in Sindelfingen by 99 percent, from 8000 to 84 tonnes. This reduction in the demand for resources pays off both for the environment and the company, the latter saving approx. € 35 million in disposal costs. The most innovative of the diverse range of specially developed methods is the processing of paint sludge into methanol, which, in turn, can be used as a raw material in the painting process. Paint sludge accounted for some 50 percent of the total hazardous waste volume in 1990. Today, 100 percent of the paint sludge is reused.

2004
Top places in "Öko-Trend" environmental rankings

May: Following an intensive and detailed assessment of more than 1000 cars involving the collection of some 25,000 individual statistics, environmental institute Öko-Trend has named the Mercedes‑Benz E 200 CDI, S 320 CDI and SL 500 as three of Germany´s most environment-friendly cars.
The environmental institute has been producing its annual environmental rankings, which provide valuable guidance for car buyers, since 1997. The analysis takes particular account of fuel consumption and emissions but also pays close attention to the economical use of resources associated with production and logistics as well as recycling and environmental management.

2005
The cleanest and most environment-friendly diesel

At the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes‑Benz underscores its commitment to the development and introduction of synthetic diesel fuel from biomass, known as "SunDiesel". Within the two-stage production process, the characteristics of this fuel can be influenced and thus optimally adapted to the requirements of the next generation of high-performance engines. The aim of the Mercedes‑Benz researchers is to enhance the performance of diesel engines by means of new combustion processes and newly designed injectors while also drastically reducing the emissions from these already economical power units even further.

2006
BlueTec® for the cleanest diesels in the world

The presentation of the E 320 BlueTec® and the Vision GL 320 BlueTec® at the 2006 Detroit Motor Show marks the start of a unique initiative in which Mercedes‑Benz points the way to the future by using BlueTec® technology to make diesel vehicles in every class the cleanest diesels in the world.
Furthermore, BlueTec® makes the particularly economical Mercedes‑Benz CDI models the world´s cleanest diesels in every class while consuming 20 to 40 percent less fuel than comparable petrol-driven models.

2006
Fuel-cell fleet passes two million kilometre mark

Mercedes‑Benz passenger cars, buses and vans with fuel-cell drive systems – there are over 100 of them in use around the world – have covered more than two million kilometres to date. The first fuel-cell vehicles went into day-to-day operation in May 2003, successively followed by the delivery of
Mercedes‑Benz A‑Class F-Cell vehicles, Citaro fuel-cell buses and FC Sprinter vans for use by customers in Europe, the USA, Japan, Australia and China. Mercedes‑Benz is a pioneer and leader in the development of the fuel cell for automotive applications, a field in which the company´s researchers and engineers have been active since the early 1990s. 1994 saw the presentation of the first fuel-cell-powered vehicle, the NECAR 1. More than 20 research vehicles and prototypes followed. The pioneering role of the company is underlined by several hundred patent applications in the field of fuel-cell technology.