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Land Rover is committed to reducing its impact on the environment and the CO2 offset programme is one part of an integrated approach. It is committing efforts in four key areas: Sustainable Manufacturing, e-Terrain Technologies, Conservation and Humanitarian Projects and CO2 Offsetting.
The programme, comprising two elements, will offset all of the CO2 emissions generated by Land Rover's manufacturing operations in the UK, a practice in place since September 2006. It will also offset the first 72,000 km of customer use on all Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Land Rover LR3, Land Rover LR2 and Defender vehicles sold in the Gulf and Levant from the 1st of October.
The Gulf and Levant will be one of the first regions outside the UK & Europe to implement the programme.
Robin Colgan, Managing Director, Land Rover Middle East, said:
"We are determined to make sustainability a key element in our business. The extension of Land Rover's industry leading CO2 programme in this region is an important step in reducing our impact on the environment."
He added, "Land Rover is very well established in the Middle East and is the market leader in the premium SUV sector. This brings with it a certain responsibility and we feel that it's time to act."
CO2 offsetting enables an immediate and significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions while Land Rover develops the new technologies that will dramatically reduce CO2 and other emissions from their vehicles. Climate Care, an internationally respected CO2 offset provider, will manage the Land Rover scheme in the Gulf and Levant, as it has been doing in the UK since the programme was launched in 2006; globally more than 2 million tonnes of CO2 will be offset as part of the Land Rover CO2 programme.
This programme works through the funding of projects that avoid or reduce CO2 emissions, with the resulting amount of CO2 saved balancing the original emissions created. All of the projects funded go through a rigorous process of independent verification and validation to ensure and demonstrate that the CO2 emissions reductions are achieved. The first projects include a wind farm in China, a hydro-electric generator in Tajikistan, and efficient cooking stoves in Uganda.
Veronica Ochiltree, Vice President, ClimateCare, said:
"By extending the CO2 programme to this region, Land Rover has reiterated its commitment to a sustainable environment. This significant step reflects our philosophy of reducing CO2 emissions, as part of an integrated strategy of carbon management, incorporating technology development and internal emissions reductions. We are proud to be associated with Land Rover in bringing this initiative to the Gulf and Levant."
After the 72,000 km mark has been reached customers can opt to continue to offset their mileage through ClimateCare's website. Similarly, existing customers can also participate in the programme by offsetting their emissions for a fee through ClimateCare.
Land Rover has cut emissions with each successive model and has jointly committed to investing £700m in developing sustainable technologies. The CO2 emissions from its main manufacturing plant at Solihull, UK, have been cut by 30% over the past ten years.
Land Rover's engineers are now conducting real-world tests with some ground-breaking Diesel Electric Rear Axel Drive (ERAD) Hybrid vehicles, aimed at dramatically cutting CO2 and other emissions while still delivering characteristic Land Rover all-terrain performance. This programme is one of a broad range of sustainability-focused engineering programmes that Land Rover is pursuing, brought together by the company under the collective name e_Terrain Technologies.
Land Rover takes its responsibility towards the environment seriously. And the way the company works today reflects this philosophy.
Posted by Siba Sami Ammari
