The Coventry-based marques, owned by the Ford Motor Company, are working with the city council on a five-year training initiative to improve sustainability and awareness of UK suppliers.
The scheme aims to help small businesses involved in the vehicle production process to minimise waste and reduce materials consumption. Sustainability criteria in supplier sourcing decisions will be encouraged and there will be a new mechanism to monitor companies' progress.
Funding for the programme has come from the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, while support has come from Accelerate, which manages the government's small business funding programme in the West Midlands.
Tom Bramley, purchasing environmental champion for Jaguar and Land Rover said: “We are confident that with the support of Coventry city council and funding from the ESF/ERDF both Land Rover's and Jaguar's environmental training can add value to the supply chain. Improving the understanding of small and medium sized businesses in how to reduce consumption and monitor sustainability, helps them improve competitiveness against global suppliers.”
Over the next two years, Jaguar and Land Rover will assist nearly 100 suppliers in improving their environmental commitment, including help in achieving ISO 14001 certification. A number of environmental seminars and the trial of a sustainability measuring tool with two supply chains will form part of the proposed measures.
The 14-strong sustainability supplier development team will be split evenly between Land Rover engineers at Solihull and their Jaguar counterparts at Browns Lane in Coventry. The creation of a Jaguar and Land Rover Sustainability Council will also accelerate the process of improvements in energy, waste and water management.
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