charging stations across the U.S. and the U.K. totaled 882, including a combination of Level 1 (standard), Level 2 (240V), and Level 3 capabilities. We expect to install additional charging stations to support EVs as our manufacturer partners introduce more of these products to the marketplace. We estimate that approximately 23% of our new vehicles sold in 2021 in the U.S. and U.K. combined were either electric or hybrid electric vehicles.
Reducing
our Energy Use. Reducing our energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is important to our customers, team members and company leadership. We recognize our responsibility to advocate for a cleaner environment through self-awareness, leveraging our global partnerships, promoting cleaner driving vehicles through our dealerships, and reducing pollution and waste. At our facilities, we have deployed several strategies for reducing our energy use, such as installing LED lighting, occupancy sensors, energy-efficient glass, and high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Moreover, we have completed LED lighting upgrades at approximately 60 percent of our U.S. dealerships and collision centers. In 2020, we avoided the equivalent of 13,755 metric tons of greenhouse gasses through Safety
Kleen’s Environmental Programs by recycling used oil and other liquids. In partnership with Shell Energy, we’re piloting an energy savings program at one of our largest campuses to enhance energy efficiency while reducing operating costs. The program provides our campus with the ability to monitor and reduce our energy usage through a unique platform including metered usage and sensors integrated within the HVAC units. In the pilot phase, we have seen an 18% reduction in energy usage.
Reducing Waste. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of waste produced at our facilities. We deploy several strategies to ensure the efficient use of
resources and responsible disposal of waste, including hazardous waste. In the U.K., all of our hazardous waste is collected and processed by a fully licensed ISO-accredited waste management company. Approximately 96 percent of our hazardous waste, including engine oil, oil filters, antifreeze, and lead acid batteries, are recycled. The other 4 percent is properly disposed of by the waste management company. In the U.S., we use a third party to manage, collect and process recycling for many of the materials that go through our service departments. These products include mercury bulbs, used oil, oil filters, brake, and parts waste, used antifreeze, parts solvent and drain waste.
Other
strategies to reduce pollution and waste include:
• | We eliminate paper at dealerships and in internal communications by using digital tools. We estimate that these changes yield annual reductions of millions of pages of paper. |
• | We utilize water reclamation systems at many of our dealership locations that typically recycle approximately 85 percent of the water used. |
• | Our collision and repair centers use water-based paints and solvents that are better for the environment and healthier for our team members and customers than traditional paints,
which contain toxins that linger in the atmosphere, impacting people and air quality. |
• | Our Hardware E-Cycle Policy requires that electronic equipment be disposed of through a specific certified electronics recycler which maintains a zero landfill, zero export policy of unprocessed equipment to non-OECD Countries. |
• | In 2020, we recycled 98 percent of the 70,000+ worn-out tires from our U.S. retail automotive operations. |
Human Capital-Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
We believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We understand that exceptional customer service can only be consistently delivered by attracting, motivating, training, and retaining the very best team members. With this in mind, we put our employees at the heart of everything that we do by developing their talent and enabling them to build long-term careers.
We are committed to building a diverse and skilled workforce while providing a work environment that promotes equity and is free from any form of discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex (including breast feeding and related medical conditions), pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status,
uniform service member and veteran status, age, genetic information, protected medical condition, disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Our focus on inclusion and diversity at our U.S. automotive dealerships has resulted in over 66% of our workforce being diverse either by race, ethnicity, or gender, with our gender diversity higher than the National Automobile Dealer Association (“NADA”) average. Additionally, our U.S. automotive dealerships have a management diversity rate of approximately 50% and our Board of Directors has a diversity rate of 31%.
Investor Outreach. We have an investor outreach program that aims to engage prospective and current shareholders throughout the
year. Engagement activities includes participation in industry conferences and events, sell-side research conferences, one-on-one meetings with current and potential investors, quarterly financial results conference calls, and visits to our locations.