The automotive firm announced today (July 28) that it had separately secured the Carbon Trust standards for water, waste and carbon, having made significant improvements in sustainability at its headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire.

Between 2011 and 2013, Bentley has achieved a 16% reduction in CO2, relative to cars manufactured; a 35.7% reduction in water use as well as an absolute waste reduction, despite business growth which saw global customer deliveries increase by 19% in 2012.

Major projects at Bentley have included the installation of more than 20,000 solar panels across factory roofs, reducing CO2 emissions by 2,500 tonnes per year and generating 286,000kWh of electricity for the national grid. More than 20% of the company’s electrical requirements have been met by solar energy this summer. Bentley’s renovation of its water treatment facilities and construction of a new water recycling plant saw an additional operational saving of 35.7% in 2012.

Bentley Motors board member Michael Straughan said: “There has been manufacturing here for nearly 80 years and customers admire the character and unique history of the site which we continue to respect.

“However, we have managed to also create an increasingly environmentally-friendly, modern manufacturing environment and will continue to target future reductions.”

Employee engagement

Bentley’s factory in Crewe is home to the company’s manufacturing operations with 3,700 people working on the site. The recognition for improvements in sustainability comes following a record year for the company, which produced 10,120 cars in 2013.

The Carbon Trust’s managing director of certification Darran Messem said: “We would like to congratulate everyone at Bentley for achieving the Carbon Trust Standard and contributing to clear year-on-year reductions of carbon emissions, water use and waste outputs. Bentley is clearly passionate about continuing to improve its environmental performance, which is reflected by the fact the company has consistently invested in new technology.

“We’ve also been impressed with the excellent levels of employee engagement with Bentley employing a dedicated Environment team and colleagues across the factory acting as Environmental Champions and pro-actively identifying new ways to save valuable resources.”

Earlier this year, a report on carmakers emissions showed that a number of European carmakers were on track to hit EU carbon emissions reduction targets, with Volkswagen – which owns Bentley – on schedule to reach the target of limiting its average car emissions to a maximum of 95 grams of CO2 per km by 2021.

However, this years Automotive Sustainability Report found that progress on energy-efficiency and water usage among the major carmakers – including Volkswagen – has slowed.

Matt Field

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe