Auto Trader Sustainability Hub

Welcome to the Auto Trader Sustainability Hub

Answering your sustainability questions

  • The UN defines sustainability as: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Description text goes here

  • This hub has been curated for anyone working on or curious about sustainability in the automotive industry. Description text goes here

  • We want to collate key information and resources about sustainability to help automotive industry colleagues on their sustainability journey. We welcome input from anyone in the sector.  

    If you’re a supplier and you’d like to feature on the hub, we suggest you work with one of your automotive industry suppliers to create a case study of the work you’ve done with them to share on the hub.  

  • We don’t have all the answers, we’re not the experts but we acknowledge that our position in the automotive industry, and with the ambition of our purpose to drive change together responsibly, affords us an opportunity to bring people and ideas together for the benefit of the sector.  Item description

  • Join our LinkedIn community or contact press@autotrader.co.uk if you have a story or case study you’d like to add to the sustainability hub.  Item description

These days, you only need to turn on the news, pick up a newspaper or listen to a podcast to be presented with messages about the importance of sustainability as well as marketing from businesses sharing their “green” ambitions.  

 And the automotive sector is no exception to this – and we don’t just mean electric vehicles. Car manufacturers and retail groups are sharing their 2030 and 2050 aspirations alongside publicly launching sustainability initiatives.  

Future-proofing your business 

We wanted to know more about what car buyers and retailers thought about this so we asked 3,500 consumers and 2,200 retailers their opinions.  

  1. What did consumers tell us?  

Your customers’ views today: (all fuel types) 

20%  

Are more inclined to buy from an environmentally responsible retailer 

More than half (53%) 

Want to know more about the environmental impact of the vehicle 

Almost a quarter (23%) 

Prefer to buy from a retailer who shows they are working towards lowering their emissions 

 

But sustainability is more important for those buying a hybrid or electric car: 

More than half 

Are more inclined to buy from an environmentally responsible retailer 

Over 80% 

Want to know more about the environmental impact of the vehicle 

More than one in two 

Prefer to buy from a retailer who shows they are working towards lowering their 

 

  1. What did retailers tell us? 

80% 

believe their environmental impact is important to their business 

Over a third (36%) 

Are already considering environmental issues in their current business strategy 

27%  

have plans to work on sustainability in the future 

More than half (54%) 

Believe environmental responsibility will become more of a business priority in the future 

Retailers also told us future proofing, cost savings and improved brand reputation are the three main co-benefits from having an increased awareness of business impact on the environment, yet: 

25% 

Don’t’ feel they have enough information to make business decisions on this topic 

 

So, whatever your motivation – be that people, planet or profit - thinking about your impact on the environment now is the smart move. Because we know that your customers and competitors are already on it.  

And getting started is easier than you think. 

Empowering your people to transform how your business operates is key. By empowering your people you can transform your business’s relationship with the natural world and the local environment you inhabit.  

But how do you do this? Read on to discover more.

The Carbon Literacy Project

As education is one of the most powerful tools in combatting climate change, we’ve developed an Automotive Toolkit, specifically tailored to the industry to support your business on its sustainability journey by empowering your people to drive change. 

With monthly online and in-person training available, you can join the more than 3,000 automotive professionals already engaged and certified in Carbon Literacy.

Book onto a Carbon Literacy Training Day now

13th/14th August 
17th/18th September 
15th October (Manchester) 
10th/11th December 

Sustainability Case Studies

Understanding your carbon footprint

Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Maybe you want to launch a business.

Lessons from beyond automotive

Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.

Make it stand out.

Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world.