Robert Gerritsen, General Manager of Castrol lubricants, UAE; Ibrahim Ezaldeen, Managing Director of German Experts Car Maintenance, Dubai; and Mohammed Aqel, General Manager of Central Trading Company, Dubai at the inauguration of the first carbon-neutral automobile workshop in the Middle East Image Credit: Supplied

Castrol lubricants in the UAE and German Experts Car Maintenance signed a partnership to reduce carbon emissions with modified procedures for clean-up, storage and disposal of materials going beyond all industry regulations to protect the environment.

The energy requirements of the German Experts Car Maintenance workshop in Dubai will come from sustainable sources or be covered by carbon offsets arranged by its leadership team.

“A car maintenance workshop like ours is not perceived as the most environmentally friendly of businesses,” said Ibrahim Ezaldeen, Managing Director of German Experts Car Maintenance at the announcement of the partnership. “Many workshops around the world use a lot of electricity, oil, gas and water to power the service area and spray booths.

“While we are constantly looking for avenues to reduce the emissions, I am now looking into the possibility of reducing carbon footprint through optimal energy consumption, using best-in-class practices for waste disposal, reducing plastics, and implementing turnkey sustainability solutions to solve complex energy challenges. As far as I’m concerned, running a carbon-neutral business is inevitably going to be the future.”

Together with Castrol and EnviroLink, German Experts Car Maintenance analysed its own carbon footprint and offset its emissions through UN-certified climate action projects. EnviroLink, a leader in providing sustainability solutions, was empanelled to assess German Experts’ carbon footprint across a wide spectrum of data and proof points. The scope of the task, alongside all other specifics, was then verified with rigour and due diligence by accredited third-party auditors to allow German Experts Car Maintenance to qualify as a carbon-neutral facility.

United Nations-approved carbon credits were procured to offset the emissions, thus making German Experts Car Maintenance the first automobile workshop in the Middle East to become completely carbon-neutral.

“Becoming certified as a carbon-neutral facility not only demonstrates that a business is acting on the challenge of climate change but also shows it is helping unlock a range of important economic, social and environmental benefits for less advantaged communities around the world,” said Mazen Shamseddine, Castrol Sales Director in the Middle East.

As part of the BP Group, initiatives like these from Castrol lubricants will continue to contribute towards delivering the net zero strategy on a wider scale.