Environmental policy

At Bilia, we work to reduce our environmental impact by following established procedures and systematically following up on non-conformities to continuously improve how we work. The commitment of our employees is important in our environmental ambitions. By actively working with environmental issues, we can realize our vision of being the industry's best service company – through care for customers, colleagues and the world we live in.

 

Objectives
We want to support our customers to make environmentally conscious choices by offering products and services that can reduce their environmental impact.
We have internal policies and procedures aimed to reduce our environmental impact. We work actively with preventive actions, systematic follow-ups, and evaluations to minimize risks and prevent environmental harm. By compliance with our values and Code of Conduct our employees ensures responsible and ethical conduct in environmental matters. Environmental efforts are integrated into our business management and processes, and we strive to reduce our environmental impact where it is environmentally justified, technically feasible, and economically reasonable.

 

Guidelines

The Group's CEO is ultimately responsible for Bilia's environmental efforts and for ensuring that the necessary resources are available. Responsibilities and tasks are delegated to the Managing Directors and managers of each subsidiary to ensure that targets and activities are managed effectively. Every employee has a responsibility to follow procedures and contribute to the Group's sustainability goals. Regular reviews of protective measures are carried out at all sites to detect deficiencies and prevent accidents. In connection with a non-conformity, there are established procedures for reporting the incident, implemented measures and subsequent follow-up, in the incident management system.

 

Bilia's environmental impact and work

Bilia's environmental impact is mainly linked to climate change, water pollution and the circular economy. We are continuously working to reduce our impact in these and closely interconnected areas.

Climate change - Bilia's greenhouse gas emissions mainly originate from car manufacturers' production of new cars and customers' use of these. Therefore, manufacturers' climate ambitions are considered when choosing the car brands we represent. We also support customers who want to make more climate-conscious choices, which contributes to the transition to cars with lower carbon dioxide emissions. We work to reduce our climate impact by responsible management of energy use, investing in energy efficiency, using renewable energy sources and phasing out fossil fuels in the properties we operate in. Guidelines for prioritizing digital meetings and choosing modes of transport are outlined in Bilia's travel policy. Follow-up of climate efforts are conducted annually in connection with climate calculations.

Water pollution - We are continuously working to improve the water quality from our car washes. These emissions mainly relate to oil of the type commonly found in cars and metals, of which copper and zinc account for the largest share. Lead is present in some water samples but in lower concentrations. We take regular water samples where there are requirements, take corrective actions on elevated discharge levels, and install water treatment equipment when necessary. We work preventively through local dialogues, training, routines and equipment. Special consideration is also given to chemical products used for washing and reconditioning, as their use and any spills may reach the sewage system.

Circular economy - We want to promote sustainable resource management and as part of our circular business model we work to reduce waste. We do this through the sale of used cars as well as through our workshops and dismantling, which promotes reuse, service and repairs. Our ambition is to grow in these areas in line with Bilia's sustainable growth strategy and thus contribute significantly to efficient resource management and circular economy. We will also use renewable resources where possible, and work with waste reduction in accordance with the waste hierarchy (minimize, reuse, recycle, energy recover and landfill). Resource management is part of the daily operations and is monitored on an ongoing basis through operational follow-up of inventory turnover and age distribution of goods in stock.

Use of chemicals - We work for responsible chemical management to minimize impact on both people and the environment. This is achieved by complying with the REACH and CLP regulations, as well as through the substitution principle. We work actively to reduce the number of chemicals used in our operations and eliminate the use of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). For chemical products sold directly to private customers, extra consideration is given to risks that may arise from improper use, and harm people or the environment. Bilia has a limited impact on air quality, but we work to limit emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) through the conscious choice of chemical products used for car painting. Regular inventories are made to ensure compliance with procedures for chemical procurement.

 

Risks
We conduct regular assessments of environmental risks at our sites. We also review environmental risks in connection with acquisitions, and set environmental requirements for suppliers through agreements and Bilia's Supplier Code of Conduct. Group-wide risk analyses are carried out to identify and manage environmental risks in our operations, and the results are presented annually in Bilia's annual report.

 

Compliance with Legislation
We comply with applicable environmental legislation and binding requirements to which we are subject, and work on continuous improvements to our environmental performance. This is a shared responsibility of all our employees.