Bentley Wins “Net Zero Plastic to Nature” Status Thanks To Recycling Initiative

Bentley has been awarded “Net Zero Plastic to Nature” accreditation for its recycling efforts following an appraisal by the eco-experts at South Pole.

That’s South Pole the organization, rather than the South Pole, the place where the penguins live. The team at the Switzerland-based company assessed Bentley’s use of plastics and its efforts to mitigate its global plastic footprint before making it the first firm to win net-zero status.

The assessment involved an investigation into the way Bentley used plastic packaging in logistics and manufacturing at the beginning of the build process, right though to how dealerships handled the disposal of protective plastic wrappings immediately prior to handing over a new car to its owner. It also factored in micro-plastic emissions from tires, which is now recognized as a major problem. Bentley also invested in two plastic waste collection and recycling projects in India and Thailand to secure the accreditation.

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“From the bubble wrap and foam used to package inbound parts, to the car body covers and shrink wrap processes employed on vehicle protection and aftersales materials, no stone has been left unturned and we’ve been able to make quick and effective changes,” said Peter Bosch, Member of the Board for Manufacturing at Bentley Motors.

“For example, we have reduced the amount of plastic parts protection on outbound products from 13 items to six,” Bosch explained. “By removing unnecessary items like vinyl wheel protection and wiper blade covers, we’ve removed 12 tonnes (26,500 lbs) of plastic from our outbound packaging operations in a year – and we’re ensuring that where plastic is still needed to ensure our cars arrive in perfect condition, it is minimal, lightweight and has low CO2 impact. Other measures, such as reducing unnecessary packaging for items moved around site, have reduced plastic shrink-wrap waste by 86 percent.”

The recycling initiatives are part of the Beyond100 strategy Bentley announced in 2020, which aims to make the company end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030, by which time it will only sell EVs.