A comprehensive review of motor industry sustainability is today published by the SMMT. It shows significant progress on key measures of environmental performance, from UK-based car and commercial vehicle manufacturers.
The motor sector was the first to report annually on sustainability back in 1999. Today’s report, The UK Automotive Sector – Towards Sustainability, is the seventh and has started tracking the life of the vehicle, commenting on the major sustainability challenges at each point in its cycle. Also highlighted is work being done by the SMMT to develop and promote an integrated approach to road transport CO2 reduction, outlining how total CO2 is generated and the need to implement combined strategies for its control.
‘We have made progress in 2005, and on some environmental measures this has been significant,’ said SMMT chief executive, Christopher Macgowan. ‘However, our report is also transparent about the areas where improvements can be made. Our business responsibilities are changing. We will continue to look at how we report annually, consult with stakeholders to make improvements and track progress through production, use and on to vehicle disposal.’
As well as environmental performance, the report highlights progress on economic goals and measures of social responsibility. Of 26 key performance indicators across these three criteria, more than half show progress and six have remained static.
A stakeholder meeting will take place on 26 September to discuss contents and look at ways to improve reporting in 2007. For more details and to book a place, please email: sustainability@smmt.co.uk.
Free copies of the Sustainability Report can be downloaded from the home page of the SMMT website; www.smmt.co.uk
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