Volkswagen-owned luxury carmaker Bentley Motors announced a new commitment to use 100% sustainable aviation fuel for all customer car airfreight shipments globally, effective immediately, which the company said will enable it to significantly reduce emissions associated with air transport while maintaining high levels of customer service.
According to the company, the new commitment will support its “Beyond100+” sustainability strategy, which includes an overarching target for Bentley to be end-to-end carbon neutral by 2030, and a pledge to shift its entire model range to battery electric vehicles. Additional moves under the program to help Bentley decarbonize its logistics include transitioning to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as an alternative to diesel for its in-house logistics vehicles, with the company now running all in-house operations at its factory on renewable fuels or green electricity.
Aimee Kelly, Head of Sustainability at Bentley Motors, said:
“This initiative forms part of Bentley’s broader programme to reduce operational and value chain emissions in line with our long term Net Zero ambition. By integrating SAF into our logistics operations in this transparent and verifiable way, we’re strengthening the foundations needed to deliver our long term climate goals, while supporting our customers and markets with more responsible distribution practices.”
According to Bentley, the company uses airfreight only when customers request, when time-critical or market requirements make it necessary, as air transport produces significantly higher emissions than sea transport. The company said that the move to certified SAF for all car airfreight represents a major step in reducing the environmental impact of the required air shipments.
Bentley added that it is exploring extending SAF across additional logistics routes where airfreight may be required.
Kelly said:
“Our transition to using certified Sustainable Aviation Fuel across all customer car airfreight movements reflects how we are taking measurable, evidence based steps to reduce emissions in the parts of our logistics network where flights remain necessary. SAF can deliver significant, independently verified reductions in life cycle CO₂e emissions compared with conventional jet fuel and this makes it a meaningful lever within our wider decarbonisation strategy.”
