Sustainability in the Automotive Industry - The Dick Lovett journey so far

‘We recognise our responsibility to protect the environment and benefit our local communities. Through our people and their behaviours, we will minimise our environmental harm by delivering our services in a sustainable manner’.

Our strategy this year has been to reduce and limit our consumption of electricity, gas, water, and transport fuel to decrease our total emissions. As the Environment and Sustainability Team was formed in September 2022, 2023 will be the first complete year that we have had a dedicated resource focused on our energy consumption and the related CO2 emissions. So far in 2023, our emissions are tracking in line with 2022 despite growth within the business!

Dick Lovett has committed £500,000 to solar panel installation around the Group so far, with BMW Bristol now being our second BMW dealership to have a Solar PV system installed. A 266 PV panel system was commissioned in July and the system generated 85% of the site’s electricity consumption in August. In total, the installed panels across the Group are predicted to save 78.17 tCO2e annually. All planned new developments will also have solar panels installed, to reduce the environmental impact our growing business would otherwise have.

LED lighting is being systematically installed across the Group, with both internal and external lights being replaced. Where LEDs are installed in offices and infrequently used areas (store cupboards, corridors etc.) motion sensors have also been installed to limit electricity waste.

Vehicle Electrification is a major factor within our business, with Electric Vehicles being at the forefront of all new property development as well as on our existing sites. Our Bristol campus has begun a vast redevelopment this year, with changes continuing into the new year. One of these developments is our dedicated charging area which is in the centre of the campus, providing electric charging to all the dealerships. Electric Vehicle charging is plentiful for customers at all BMW and MINI sites.

A growing number of EVs are being deployed to employees as part of our company car scheme. In particular, the Sales Teams are utilising EVs to improve their understanding and engagement with the technology so they can best advise our customers.

The Sustainability Team has continued to report on consumption and emissions throughout the year to improve engagement and attitudes regarding our sustainability journey. A tailored energy report is sent to every dealership each month to alert the team on how their site is performing as well as a comparative page analysing the whole Group, discussing a relevant topic and promoting best practices.

Our environmental vision focuses on reducing our environmental harm through considerate activity and responsible business practices. The environmental vision is the beginning of our sustainability journey, which we endeavour to expand upon with net zero goals and targets in the near future.

More about our environmental vision can be found here - https://www.dicklovett.co.uk/environmental-social-and-governance