Sustainability

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Here at Plant Oxford, we are taking lots of measures to become a more sustainable plant.

LNG Lorries LNG Lorries

One way we are reducing our corporate carbon footprint is in the form of 21 heavy goods vehicles delivering components from suppliers to MINI Plant Oxford, across 15 different routes around the United Kingdom.

What’s special about this fleet of vehicles? They run on LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), thereby offering a number of environmental advantages over their conventional diesel counterparts.

Here are some of the benefits of operating an LNG fleet:

  • Near-zero particulate matter emissions;
  • 20% lower emissions of CO2 and nitrogen oxides; 
  • Up to 90% less CO2 if the trucks are run on bio-LNG in the future; 
  • LNG comes from sources like organic household waste, so it’s renewable energy;
  • LNG trucks are also quieter than diesel ones.
Solar Panels

Our Body Shop has a roof-mounted solar farms and when it was first installed in 2014 it was one of the largest in the UK. The photovoltaic system comprises of 11,500 solar panels, covering 20,000 square metres (an area equivalent to five football pitches!) and generates the equivalent of the electricity consumption of over 930 households, and it reduces the annual carbon footprint by around 1,500 tonnes.

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Some of the internal road ways have incorporated old tyres.The rubber modified asphalts incorporate the rubber from one tyre per tonne of asphalt, giving the potential to recycle around 500 tyres per kilometre or road. This process reduces the typical carbon footprint of the modified tarmac is reduced by around 8%.

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Parts of the Assembly Building at MINI Plant Oxford are over 100 years old and the roof spans over 82,000 square metres. To improve the efficiency of this building, works are currently taking place to insulate the roof and a new heating system is being installed. Combined, these measures will reduce energy costs by almost 50% while conserving an integral part of the Plant's long-standing history.

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Marking our support for reducing carbon emissions across the city of Oxford, MINI Plant Oxford - among other large businesses. institutions and universities - has signed the Zero Carbon Oxford Charter.

We are subsequently  working with our local community to meet Oxford's zero carbon emissions  by the year 2040 - ten years earlier than the Government's legal deadline.

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All BMW Group UK production sites have on-site waste management centres. Almost all (97%) of the waste that is generated through production is recycled, recovered, or reused. 

In addition in the new press shop at MINI Plant Swindon, rain water is harvested and used for flushing the toilets.

The installation of LED lighting in our Plant is a seemingly simple idea, although investing in our lighting infrastructure has a big impact. The collective energy saving across MINI Plants Oxford and Swindon is 3,200 megawatt hours, which is equivalent to the electricity usage of 1,116 average UK homes.

While MINI has already achieved many successes in terms of sustainable manufacturing, we know we’re still a long way from our destination. We’re committed to doing all we can to achieve our MINI sustainability goals in all areas, not just manufacturing. This environmentally conscious approach continues to drive us along our path to sustainable mobility. 

Find out more on our production methods here.

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