Bentley Motors today confirms that its entire UK retailer network of 24 sites has achieved carbon neutral status. The accreditation, certified by the Carbon Trust, complements Bentley’s industry-leading sustainability programme at its manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, England, where all Bentley models are built.
The Pyms Lane factory has been the home of Bentley since 1946 and covers all aspects of the manufacturing process. The site became carbon neutral in 2019, a key part of the company’s forward-thinking Beyond100 strategy and certified by the Carbon Trust to the strictest PAS 2060 standards.
Bentley’s path to sustainability is a driving force behind the company’s Beyond100 strategy, which has been increasing in momentum. Announced in 2020, the plan targets sustainable mobility leadership, reinventing every aspect of the business.
Over the course of 2021, the UK retailer network of 24 Bentley dealerships worked closely with the Carbon Trust to achieve its own carbon neutral PAS 2060 status. Initially, it has used high quality carbon offsets, such as tree planting, to achieve certification. However, individual dealerships are also now implementing the first steps of their carbon reduction plans which include a range of actions such as switching staff vehicles to BEV or PHEV, changing to green energy, and eliminating single use plastics. Bentley will now roll out similar schemes to all 241 international retailers so they can become carbon neutral by 2025 at the latest.
Richard Leopold, Regional Director for the Middle East and UK, explains
“Sustainability is increasingly important to our customers, who share our Beyond100 commitment to becoming end to end carbon neutral by 2030. This is reflected in our record sales figures for 2021, where one in five cars now sold is a hybrid. As the main point of contact our customers have with Bentley is through our retail network, extending the carbon neutral status that we have secured for our factory in Crewe and further enhancing the sustainability of our retail sites is a key part of our Beyond100 journey.
“The Carbon Trust has helped our retailers to review their energy use and develop carbon reduction strategies, identifying a set of sustainable best practises that can be rolled out across the UK. The Bentley Academy will also be deliveing training throughout 2022 to explore new ideas. We look forward to sharing our findings with the global colleagues and transitioning the whole global network of 241 retailers by 2025.”
Bentley was the first UK automotive manufacturer to be awarded the triple Carbon Trust Standard for carbon, water and waste reduction at its Crewe headquarters. This includes signification investment in more than 30,000 solar panels, increasing to 40,000 within the next two years. Together with other initiatives, Bentley now plans to convert all logistics vehicles to renewable fuels only.
This week it also announced a £2.5bn billion investment in Battery-Powered Electric Vehicles (BEV) production at Crewe – a major boost to the UK sustainability industry. All Bentley cars will be electric-only by 2030, with one new BEV model every year for five years, from 2025 onwards.
SOURCE: Bentley
