9:59 am, February 20, 2023
Volkswagen and Skoda franchised dealership Alan Day Motor Group has gained a Carbon AAA rating.
The London retailer says the accreditation by Future Net Zero will help it steal a march on rivals in its quest to become the first carbon-neutral dealership.
The group, which sells VW commercial vehicles and Skoda vehicles, has invested in green technology and offsetting unavoidable emissions.
Darran Clarke, who heads up Alan Day’s sustainability project, said: ‘We have already offset more than 5,640 tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to around 860 return trips from London to Sydney.’
The group recently spent £175,000 on replacing its light bulbs with LED units, which use around 70 per cent less energy than traditional bulbs. It’s expecting to see its money back within 13 months.
Alan Day, which has branches in Hampstead and New Southgate, has invested £100,000 in a fully electric mobile service van as well.
Buyers are also being offered the chance to drive carbon-neutral for the first year of ownership, thanks to Alan Day calculating and offsetting the carbon footprint of their first 10,000 miles.
Ex-BBC presenter Sumit Bose, who founded Future Net Zero, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Live News, said: ‘Our programme is there to help companies like Alan Day.
‘It’s great they’ve become members, as we need the automotive sector to clean up its act. They are leading where others should follow.’
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