Cary Group is the owner of several AGE members, including Auto Cristal Ralarsa in Spain, Expressglass in Portugal, Dansk Bilglas in Denmark, Ryds Bilglas in Sweden, National Windscreens in the UK, Autoglas Luxemburg in Luxembourg, and Autoglass Clinic in Belgium.
Originally family-owned, Cary Group has grown to become a reference in the market, with strong positions both nationally and across Europe. With a network of 1,400 workshops, including mobile units, and a workforce of 3,000 employees, Cary Group’s success stems from its use of advanced technology, a comprehensive range of services for all car types, and its dedication to creating innovative solutions and delivering exceptional experiences for end-customers, insurance firms, and B2B partners.
Cary Group Sustainability Manager
Our journey has always been driven by a commitment to provide sustainable car care solutions and minimizing the environmental impact of our operations. Over the years, Cary Group has expanded its sustainability efforts to include various initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting circular economy practices, and enhancing social responsibility. In 2018, we conducted our first sustainability report.
We call it our Sustainability Commitment to 2030, focusing on four key areas: Climate, Circular Offering, Empowering People, and Business Ethics. A Responsible Supply Chain spans across all these areas. Within each area, we have defined a vision, targets, and strategic initiatives. Examples of these initiatives include green fleet transition, renewable energy commitments, repair instead of replacement, elevating safety awareness, and promoting ethical excellence.
The strategy reflects the areas deemed material and important by both Cary Group and its stakeholders. It not only highlights Cary Group’s focus and ambition but also addresses the interests of key stakeholders, including B2B customers, owners, and lenders.
In terms of green fleet transition, our Swedish company Ryds Bilglas, an AGE member, has achieved an over 90% electric courtesy car fleet across its business, accelerating this effort over the last couple of years.
When it comes to renewable energy, Cary Group has established green electricity deals with suppliers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and the UK. Additionally, solar panels have been installed in Germany, Sweden, and Spain, with Portugal set to join in 2025, further contributing to the generation of renewable electricity for our operations.
Focusing on social sustainability and diversity, we have successfully increased the number of female technicians across the Group through effective recruitment campaigns and the establishment of a female technician network.
To measure and retrieve data for reporting. It’s not just one system that’s needed to, for example, collect fuel data for our fleet – different local companies have varying levels of data granularity. There’s always a balance to consider: should we use the more detailed data from one company and extrapolate for the rest, or use data that may not provide as precise calculations but can be collected consistently from all companies?
Cary Group has collaborated with various stakeholders, including B2B customers, owners, and lenders, to advance its sustainability goals. For example, we climate compensate together with some of our insurance customers, have established sustainability-linked loans with our lenders, and set targets verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) with support from our owners. These partnerships have been instrumental in driving our sustainability initiatives and ensuring that we meet the expectations of our stakeholders.
We have several targets within each of our strategic areas and we have different strategic initiatives to achieve them:
Climate: Reduce our emissions by 42% in our operations (Scope 1&2) and by 52% in our value chain (Scope 3) from 2022 to 2030. We also aim to have 70% electric or low-emission vehicles in our fleet and procure 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
Circular Offering: Increase the repair rate of windscreens and ensure that 100% of replaced windscreens are sent to recycling.
Empowering People: Maintain a strong Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), increase First Aid Injuries (FAI) reporting, and significantly increase the number of female technicians.
Business Ethics: Achieve full coverage of Code of Conduct training and aim for an EcoVadis gold rating by 2028.
Responsible Supply Chain: Ensure that 50% of our suppliers are rated in EcoVadis in terms of spend by 2030 and that all contracted suppliers comply with our supplier code of conduct.
In the beginning of 2024, our climate reduction targets were verified by the organization SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative). Therefore, we took the decision to adjust our climate compensation and implement Internal Carbon Pricing (ICP) for our Scope 3 emissions to accelerate our decarbonization journey. The capital previously spent on climate compensation for Scope 3 is now used for activities to reduce our own emissions. Thanks to it, solar panels, new charging infrastructure, and LED lights will be installed across our subsidiaries in 2025.
When going through the process, don’t forget what brings value to you and your company – don’t be too focused on only becoming compliant – but do a proper roadmap you can work with, how should you achieve your target? What other use can data you collect have and what value can it give to your organization and customers?
The future of sustainability in our industry is promising, with increasing emphasis on reducing environmental impact and promoting circular economy practices. As regulatory requirements become more stringent, companies will need to adopt comprehensive sustainability strategies and continuously innovate to meet these challenges. Collaboration and partnerships will play a crucial role in driving industry-wide sustainability efforts and achieving long-term success.
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