Automotive supplier cuts emissions after securing funding

An automotive supply company has more than halved its carbon emissions after being awarded a £20,000 grant from the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme.

Rugby-based Autins Ltd, which manufactures acoustic material designed to reduce road noise and improve thermal insulation, has cut its carbon emissions by more than half and reduced its annual energy costs by thousands of pounds after fitting its head office and production facility with LED lighting.

The refurbishment was made possible after the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub put the business in touch with the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme.

Dean Trappett, group engineering manager for Autins Ltd, said: "This project is part of a larger plan within Autins to reduce our carbon impact and the grant has helped us make good progress this year.

"We found out about the Green Business Programme after looking into the ways we could reduce our energy usage and discovered that LED lighting was an effective method and were impressed by the envisaged savings after installation.

"The main benefits of the switch will, of course, be more greatly felt in the long-term in terms of emissions, but the aesthetic impact is very noticeable and gives the site a forward-thinking feel and is a reminder of the path that the company is taking."

The programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is being implemented by Coventry City Council, Coventry University, and Coventry University Enterprises Ltd to enable businesses with fewer than 250 employees to implement low-carbon efficiency measures.

Matthew Dillow, Green Business Programme lead at Coventry City Council, said: "We're really pleased to be able to help Autins to reduce their carbon footprint by over 53 tonnes a year through grant funding.

"Moving to energy efficiency solutions makes economic sense as well as providing an improved working environment. It is great to see another local business which is committed to reducing their carbon footprint."