In an industry which often gets bad press for pollution, SEAT is shining a light on directions to reduce it at the actual factory stage,
writes Brian Byrne.
The car company — a subsidiary in the Volkswagen Group — has trimmed its environmental impact by more than a third at its factory outside Barcelona, and is also involved with community and construction activities that are good for the planet.
The initiatives include energy-recovery in its chimneys, which has helped reduce gas consumption; the installation of pavements which react with pollutants in the air to form water-soluble nitrates; and the use of the largest array of solar panels in the European automotive industry (top picture).
SEAT has also promoted the creation of a botanical garden in Martorell’s Can Casas park, consisting in planting 80 trees of different native species, as well as a space for the protection of the
Hyla Meridionalis frog.
A pilot programme among its staff on the disposal of waste cooking oil from their homes could also provide the basis for a wider use of such a programme.
