Tomorrow and Beyond

Our Dream Factory transformation will support our commitment to sustainable production by ensuring that our production processes align to our decarbonisation goals. Our site has been certified 100% carbon neutral for five years, in accordance with the PAS 2060 carbon neutral standard (see Compliance and Certification, below). 

In 2013, over 20,000 solar panels were installed on the roof of the factory, making it the largest roof-mounted solar array in the UK. In 2018 a further 10,000 panels were installed and in 2023, yet more were added. Today, there are more than 36,000 solar panels powering the site, covering an area of 60,911m2 or roughly nine football pitches. All the electricity used in making our cars is now either sourced from these solar panels or certified green.

Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel has provided an ultra-low emission alternative to diesel for our in-house logistics vehicles – making our factory the first luxury automotive plant to run all in-house operations on renewable fuels or green electricity. A 34,000 litre tank and pump are used to fuel the ten logistics HGVs that transfer parts between the factory and off-site storage depot, as well as over 20 smaller on-site vehicles. The fuel itself, known as Green D+, cuts tailpipe CO2 emissions by over 86%, while reducing nitrous oxide by up to 30% and particulates by up to 80%. 

Improvements in recycling mean that the small amount of factory waste we were sending to landfill has fallen by more than 99%, to just 3.57 kg per vehicle last year. In our paint shop, meanwhile, we have installed recycling systems that capture waste water, so we can put it to use elsewhere on the factory site.

To help improve biodiversity across our site, we have installed a green wall. comprising over 2,600 plants, spanning 28 different species of ferns, grasses and evergreens. Every plant was grown locally and is individually potted in the wall, with water provided by an automated irrigation system. In just one year, the wall is predicted to produce around 40 kg of oxygen, while also helping to filter out toxins and dust. 

There are now more than a million British Apis Mellifera honeybees living in 17 hives on the factory site, in an area that has also seen the planting of over a thousand wild flowers. The project began with just two hives back in 2019 and the colony has been growing ever since. This is just part of a focus on nurturing our site’s biodiversity, with other projects including allotments and nesting sites for birds and hedgehogs. 

In 2024 we also planted 25 trees to celebrate the 25th ISO 14001 anniversary, reinforcing our commitment to maintaining green spaces on site.

Bentley is a member of the Leather Working Group. Established in 2005, the group aims to improve environmental performance in the leather industry, by monitoring the performance of manufacturers like us against best practice benchmarks and audit standards. In 2024, we became the first automotive manufacturer to join Leather Naturally, the global voice of the sustainable leather industry. And since then, we have introduced our first olive-tan leather, which uses an organic by-product of the olive oil industry that is free from heavy metals, minerals and aldehydes.

Our Sustainable Plastic Management System (SPMS) is a database of over 5,000 plastic components, which we use to monitor and reduce our plastic usage. 

When it comes to single-use plastics, we have recently assessed the packaging of more than 4,000 parts for re-use or removal. We have replaced shrink wrap with reusable straps and replaced plastic tape where possible, while introducing recycled plastic balers and cardboard alternatives. We have even looked at plastic use in our on-site restaurants, installing new recycling stations and eliminating plastic lids, wrapping and food boxes.