Environmental

Management

Environmental management

We were granted the ISO 14001 environmental standard from the day we opened our Goodwood Manufacturing plant and Headquarters in 2003. Set by the International Organisation for Standardisation, the ISO 14001 is the most important environmental standard in the world. Supported by environmentalists and governments alike, the ISO 14001 is designed to help all kinds of organisations protect the environment, prevent pollution and improve their overall environmental performance.

We therefore undergo regular independent environmental audits and have maintained this standard ever since inception to ensure we continue to achieve the highest possible standards.

Energy management

We have achieved better energy efficiency, despite steadily increasing car production every year since opening in 2003, our energy use per car has actually decreased by 67% between 2003 and 2011.

We have underlined our pledge to energy efficiency and saving by signing-up to the Climate Change Agreement, which commits us to energy saving targets over the next ten years.

Water management

In addition to reducing our consumption per car of gas and electricity year-on-year since 2003 we have also continually reduced our consumption of water. Between 2003 and 2011, we reduced our water use per car by 93%.

Low water consumption systems that achieve water savings are used for production processes and in site facilities. We have an on-going commitment to minimising water usage and wastage. From closed loop water systems used for paint processes which recycle 53,000 litres per day and the 'monsoon' bay where we, test every Rolls-Royce, is watertight and recycles 2,300 litres per week to low flush toilets with infrared sensing and automatic shut-off taps in rest room areas.

In addition to reducing the quantity of water used on-site we have also paid close attention to the design of the drainage system. Based on the SUDS principle (Sustainable Urban Drainage System) the Goodwood site features a number of swales or soakaways to cope with extra water flow. All surface water run-off from the roof and car park is directed through petrol interceptors into the lake on site, which acts as a heat sink for the Head Quarter building's climate control system.

Waste management

We have steadily increased our waste recycling between 2003 - 2011 per car produced and now recycle over 97% of all waste per car produced reducing the waste to landfill dramatically. This was achieved through initiatives such as:

Recycling more than 26 different streams of waste, including cardboard, paper, all types of plastic, tyres, polystyrene, glass, metals and wood.
Waste to energy and Anaerobic Digestion prevents food and general waste from going into land fill and reduces green house gases produced from rotting in landfill, produces renewable energy and reducing pollution.
Keeping the amount of waste we generate to a minimum, with the vast majority of car parts delivered to Goodwood arriving in reusable containers, which are sent on a loop back to suppliers, saving on vast amounts of packaging waste.

Using more valuable materials in more creative ways. For example, leather scraps from upholstery are sold for re-use in the fashion industry, while off-cuts of wood veneer are donated to a local charity for use in workshops and furniture making, which is then sold to raise funds.

Between 2003 and 2011, we reduced our waste disposal to landfill per car by 63%.

Sustainability

Our award-winning 42 acre manufacturing plant and headquarters symbolise the progressive and forward-thinking ethos of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

The Goodwood home of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was designed by leading architect, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw (who also designed the pioneering Eden Project) to sit in harmony with its outstandingly beautiful surroundings in West Sussex. The Manufacturing plant and Headquarters was built between one and two metres below the surrounding ground level to blend the buildings into the landscape itself.

To further minimise the facility's visual impact, natural stone and cedar wood cladding has been used extensively while, from a distance, the adoption of a plant-covered 'living roof' ensures the buildings blend into the scenery.

By maximising the amount of natural light entering the building via large windows, roof lights and an impressive 'glass mile' that runs alongside the assembly area, the need for artificial lighting has been kept to a minimum.

Thanks to their high specification the thermal insulating properties the building's walls exceed the requirements of Building Regulations by 25 per cent.

Pollution prevention

In the event of a potentially polluting spillage we are well prepared to cope, thanks to an advanced pollution prevention system, which includes automatic cut-off valves in the site's drainage system.

You might expect a car manufacturing plant to be a significant source of noise or light pollution. Yet thanks to the earth banks and many hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs that line the site's perimeter, along with the and innovative achitecture, a survey carried out established that the plant has not significantly increased background noise or artificial light pollution levels during day or night.

Biodiversity

While the primary role of our Goodwood manufacturing plant and headquarters is that of home to the world's finest car company it is also something of a nature reserve.

We've planted more than 400,000 trees and shrubs, spanning more than 120 different species, both to screen the buildings and foster a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna in the area.

Our Goodwood site is also home to a variety of wildlife as a result of a wildlife garden built with Charlie Dimmock and the floating island built on the lake in 2007, that attracts birds and encourages growth of plants and vegetation.

The floating island and an extensive reed bed have been successful in maintaining the water quality and the health of the water garden a habitat for wetland birds such as cormorants, swans and moorhens.

Charlie Dimmock is an extensively travelled horticulturist and one of Britain's best known and most renowned gardeners, specialising in water features. She presents the BBC's incredibly popular Ground Force, Charlie and the Duchess, Garden Invaders and Chelsea Flower Show. She has also written the books Enjoy Your Garden and Container Gardening.

Travel

From car part logistics to employees travelling to work, we proactively reduce CO₂ emissions. Thanks to carefully orchestrated logistics all the incoming supplies and outgoing shipments of finished cars require approximately 40 lorry movements per day, a fraction of the number required by conventional car plants.

To minimise the impact of our employees travelling to and from work everyday we initiated a green travel plan from day one. Central to this is a lift-sharing database, which enables employees to travel together where possible.

Those employees who are unable to participate in the lift-sharing scheme are encouraged to use bicycles, motorcycles or take advantage of local public transport.

Battery Recycling

When the primary battery in your vehicle reaches the end of its life, it can be returned to your Authorised Rolls-Royce Motor Cars dealership when a new battery is purchased or installed; alternatively it can be delivered to one of the following facilities for recycling:

Civic Amenity and Recycling Centres
Local Authority Battery Collection Schemes
Licensed End of Life Vehicle Authorised Treatment Facilities
Licensed Metal Recycling Sites
Should you require any further information or if you have difficulties returning your battery for recycling via the routes detailed, please contact rr-recycling@rolls-roycemotorcars.com for assistance.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a registered Battery Producer with the Environment Agency; our producer registration number is BPRN00794. Please be aware that disposal of waste industrial and automotive batteries by landfill or by incineration is banned in the UK from 1 January 2010.

Living Roof

Covering more than 32,000 square metres (8 acres) and planted with six different varieties of the sedum plant, the roof of our manufacturing plant and headquarters is one of the largest living roofs in Europe.

The blanket of vegetation of the roof has become a haven for breeding skylarks, which have been observed nesting on the living roof. The roof's regulated temperature has led to an increase in breeding pairs from one to six since 2003.

In the summer of 2006, a species of skylark, listed as one of 'high conservation concern' within the UK, was filmed by the BBC for a wildlife programme.

The living roof's value goes beyond its natural beauty and as a refuge for wildlife, It filters pollutants, improving air and water quality; provides sound insulation; provides evaporative cooling in the summer and thermal insulation in the winter, and prevents rainwater flooding.

End of Life Vehicles

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is committed to reducing environmental impacts during the entire vehicle lifespan - from manufacturing, to use, servicing and finally recycling.

The foundations for the environmentally friendly recycling of vehicles are already laid during the development and production phases of each vehicle. By consistently applying the Design for Recycling concept, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars ensures that its vehicles can be efficiently recycled.

Once a vehicle gets to the end of its life and the last owner wishes to dispose of a Rolls-Royce vehicle, the owner can return their vehicle to a dealer or a fully licensed ATF, an authorised treatment facility where they will be issued a certificate of destruction (CoD) enabling the owner to deregister the vehicle.

If you require any further information or assistance with returning your end of life Rolls-Royce for recycling via the routes detailed, please contact rr-recycling@rolls-roycemotorcars.com for assistance.