In Europe, the New Green Deal is being prepared
as an overarching environmental legislation
and I can see the UK taking the lead on that as
well. It will be very important for future trade
relations to be an environmentally friendly and
socially responsible nation.”
Bosch also says that companies should
be rewarded for sustainable operations.
“Whenever a company – or an individual –
develops a sustainable solution, they should
be incentivised,” he says. “I can also envisage a
Carbon Tax that treats all wasted energy usage
MARCH 2020 COVER STORY
in the same way, whether it’s
cars, trains, aircraft or power
plants, to create an incentive
to switch to carbon neutral
energy sources.
“A Carbon Tax would
incentivise the industry to
modernise; those companies
that are prepared to develop
and prepare for the future
will fi nd it very benefi cial.
For many other companies it
might be the wake-up call to
develop in the right direction,
especially if backed up with
regulatory support to guide
the manufacturing industry
in a future-proof direction.”
Full carbon neutrality
Pyms Lane has an even
greener future ahead of it as
well. Already a carbon neutral
factory, it may be hard to
imagine where Bosch and
the team can go from here.
However, says Bosch, getting
the factory in order is only
just the start. “We want to
become carbon neutral across
our product portfolio and the
supply chain,” he concludes.
“For the factory, Be Sustainable
will grow to encompass not just
our carbon use but also plastics
as we move towards becoming
a plastic-neutral factory. These
are motivating milestones that
are very well-received by our
employees, stakeholders and
our customers.”
Sustainable luxury – awkward bedfellows?
Think of high-performance luxury cars and sustainability will probably not be the fi rst thing that comes
to mind. However, says Bosch, in many ways, a Bentley is one of the most sustainable vehicles money
can buy. “They simply never get thrown away,” he says. “Around 80% of all Bentleys made since 1919
are still on the road. A Bentley is forever – and that’s true sustainability. Think how many other cars have
been scrapped since 1919…”
There’s still the question of what’s under the bonnet, though. Demand for large, fuel-greedy
vehicles is falling, both domestically and abroad. SMMT fi gures show that sales of petrol and dieselpowered
cars dropped by 9.5% and 36%, respectively, in January 2020 compared to the same period
last year. To combat this, Bentley has launched its fi rst plug-in electric vehicle, the Benteyga Hybrid.
“It was received very positively, not only by the public and the media, but also by our customers,” says
Bosch. “We have a plan to introduce hybrid options on all our model lines by 2023”.
20 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
Dean Smith
Under Bosch’s leadership, Bentley
has become on of the UK’s most
sustainable automotive manufacturers
SUSTAINABILITY SPECIAL
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk