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First carbon-neutral luxury car factory

Bentley becomes the UK's first carbon-neutral luxury vehicle factory.  
Posted on 08 October, 2019
First carbon-neutral luxury car factory

Bentley has achieved carbon neutral certification for its factory headquarters in Crewe, England, taking another important step on its journey to become the world’s most sustainable luxury car manufacturer.

The certification from the Carbon Trust, which confirms that the company meets the internationally recognised PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality, reflects measures taken by the company to reduce the carbon emitted in its operations, including the use of renewable electricity.

100 per cent of Bentley’s electricity is generated by either on-site solar panels or purchased as certified green electricity. All emissions that cannot be eliminated are compensated with high-quality offsets.

Earlier this year, the UK’s largest solar carport, comprising 10,000 solar panels, was installed at Bentley’s factory site in Crewe. The installation has a capacity of 2.7MW and covers 1,378 car parking spaces. Adding to the 20,815 rooftop panels already fitted, it took the total on-site solar panel energy capacity to 7.7MW, enough to cover over 1,750 homes.

The achievement reflects almost two decades’ work to make the historic Crewe site as energy and carbon-efficient as it can be.  

Although parts of the site have existed since the 1940s, in 1999 Bentley was the first UK car manufacturer to achieve the ISO 14001 environmental management standard and sees upgrading the site to maximise energy efficiency and reduce emissions as a continual process. 

Bentley is now accelerating its push towards electrification with the introduction of the first fully electric Bentley slated for 2025. The luxury British marque has also just brought to market the first luxury plug-in hybrid, the Bentayga Hybrid, and aims to have hybrid variants of all models by 2023 and a BEV by 2025.

“While 2019 has marked Bentley’s centenary, our focus is now on preparing the business for the next 100 years," Adrian Hallmark, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, says. "We want to lead the way in the delivery of sustainable luxury mobility – by providing our customers with products and services that reflect their own values.

"We are very conscious of our responsibility to consider the environmental, social and economic impact of our organisation, and today’s news is just the latest stage in this journey.”