Bentley's going green with plan to reduce waste water at Crewe plant

Bentley has launched a new water capture and recycling system for its historic Pyms Lane factory in Crewe.

Following a successful trial of the system, the British luxury brand says its new scheme will capture water normally wasted by the water purifying system used in its paint shop. In total, the company expects the system to recycle around 350,000 litres of water in 2020 alone.

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Bentley uses reverse osmosis treatment units to make sure water used in the factory is free of contaminants that could affect the paint finish on its cars. However, the system uses high-pressure pumps to separate contaminants, and the level of purity required means only one in three litres of water can be used.

Under the new capture and recycling system, though, the water previously wasted will be stored and used to help keep the site in good condition. Some will be used to clean the 16 miles of factory floor routes, while some will be used to water plants in the grounds.

And Bentley’s water recycling is set to go even further in future, with plans to start “harvesting” rain water — a common sight at Bentley’s Cheshire home.

Peter Bosch, member of the board for manufacturing at Bentley, said cutting water use would reduce the company’s impact on the environment without affecting the quality of the vehicles it produces.

“Our site in Crewe designs, engineers and manufactures luxury cars for export all over the world,” he said. “Water plays a vital part in a number of our manufacturing processes, but it’s also a natural resource, so reducing our consumption and re-using as much as we can is a key part of our philosophy. The new recycling systems we’ve installed help us to meet that objective – while still manufacturing cars of the highest quality.

“Our projections show that we can expect to capture over 350,000 litres of water in 2020, all of which can now be used to maintain our site. For example, we wash over 16 miles of internal routes every day to ensure that our factory is in immaculate condition – and look after our plants and grounds carefully.

“The project is a great example of the innovative thinking our colleagues are coming up with to reduce the impact of our site on the environment – and our next focus point will be to capture even larger volumes through rainwater harvesting.”

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