The Vella Group becomes first UK bodyshop to be certified to AkzoNobel’s new Sustainable Repair Network
7 March 2024 The Vella Group, one of the UK’s leading independent collision repair organisations, has become the first UK business to achieve Level 1 Certification and become an official partner within AkzoNobel’s Sustainable Repair Network, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
AkzoNobel’s Vehicle Refinishes business launched the Sustainable Repair Network to support customers on their journey to becoming more sustainable and efficient. The three-level certification framework supports them by first measuring CO2e emissions, then undertaking ongoing monitoring to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption and cost as well as CO2e emissions, before implementing improvements.
These improvements will include changes in equipment, processes, and choice of products, which in turn results in reduced waste, energy usage, and cost, and increased efficiencies.
Marc Holding, Managing Director of The Vella Group, says that the organisation is delighted to become a partner of AkzoNobel’s Sustainable Repair Network: “As a business we are forward thinking when it comes to sustainability and go beyond the standard or legal requirements placed upon us,” he explains.
“We are looking forward to working closely with AkzoNobel in continuing to develop our sustainability targets which will include identifying additional opportunities to further enhance our operational processes and procedures. This will lead to significant improvements in managing our carbon emissions and enhancing efficiency.”
The Vella Group has an established reputation for its commitment to sustainability. In 2021 it became one of the first repair groups to become PAS2060 accredited, it has joined The Climate Pledge and has successfully reduced its CO2e emissions by 20%. Last year the group joined AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future project where various stakeholders across the supply chain collaborate to identify CO2e reduction possibilities. The Vella Group’s Trafford Park site is also currently the pilot site for the revised LV= Green Heart standard.
In collaboration with AkzoNobel, The Vella Group has reviewed the energy efficiency of the coatings it uses, and AkzoNobel’s CO2eRepairCalculator identified products with ambient and UV curing to reduce CO2e emissions. With the Carbon Pulse application an assessment was then undertaken to benchmark and monitor savings from the alternative coatings, with encouraging results. A full Bodyshop Energy Scan was conducted to map all energy consumption on site and give advise where improvements can be made, regardless of whether it was coatings related, followed by the Sustainable Repair Audit. The audit focused on the four key areas of repair, recycle, re-use, and reduce to create a meaningful action plan for the organization to make further improvements across its operations.
Paul James, Strategic Accounts Manager Vehicle Refinishes UK & Ireland, AkzoNobel, is looking forward to the partnership with Marc and his team: “Together we will collectively look at all the steps of their repair process and their entire bodyshop operation to see where emissions are being created and how we can help to reduce them. We will give them the tools, knowledge, support, and experience to make a tangible long-term difference to their business.”