Two LV= General Insurance branded bodyshops gain Green Heart status

Two LV= General Insurance (LV=GI) branded bodyshops, AW Group and Vella Group, have gained its Green Heart Standard.

The specific bodyshops that have achieved LV=GI’s Green Heart status are AW Group’s sites in Denaby, Derby and Sherburn in Elmet, as well as Vella Group’s sites in Liverpool and Deeside.

LV=GI launched its ethical Green Heart Standard in April this year for its branded bodyshop repair network - it forms part of the insurer’s broader commitment to have a positive influence in society and be environmentally responsible.

The Green Heart Standard requires the insurer’s 25 branded bodyshops within the LV=GI network to meet the company’s corporate social responsibility goals and work to become a greener supplier.

Michael Golding, network manager at LV=GI, said: “AW Group and the Vella Group have helped pioneer the Green Heart Standard, not just by achieving PAS2060 accreditation, but also by raising environmental social impact awareness within their respective businesses.

“They are able to provide our customers with a repair solution where the importance of corporate social responsibility sits alongside great customer service and a high standard of repair quality.”

PAS 2060 is the internationally recognised specification for carbon neutrality, which builds on the existing PAS 2050 environmental standard. 

Six principles

Both AW Group and Vella Group have successfully demonstrated green credentials across the Green Heart Standard’s six principles, which are aligned to LV=GI’s social purpose pillars of environment and sustainability, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing and being a responsible business.

The six new principles include:

• Achieving PAS 2060 carbon neutral status.
• Using green parts to repair cars.
• Offering electric vehicles as hire cars to customers.
• Displaying diversity and equality in the workforce.
• Promoting mental health awareness amongst employees.
• Developing and training apprentices.

Just over 75% of LV=GI branded bodyshops are now officially carbon neutral and have achieved the PAS 2060 status.

Business management consultancy ECA Business Energy has been supporting LV= and its bodyshop network in becoming carbon neutral in accordance with PAS 2060.

Steve Silverwood, ECA Business Energy’s managing director, said: “LV= has taken massive steps to encourage [its] network to commence their sustainability journey and have actively been promoting this strategy through the industry, working with the entire supply chain, including vehicle manufacturers, paint and part companies and many other suppliers within the sector.

”We look forward to working with them as the industry moves towards net zero.”

Core sustainability pledges

Marc Holding, the Vella Group’s managing director, said: “We are delighted to have become the joint first bodyshop group in the LV=GI sole supply network to become Green Heart accredited.

“We have a clearly defined strategic plan, which has sustainability as one of its core pillars. The Green Heart Standard mirrors many of the areas that we had outlined as critical to our future success and our long-standing relationship with LV=GI has helped us to shape this plan.”

Andrew Walsh, AW Group’s founder and chief executive, added: “To become the joint first bodyshop group across the LV=GI sole supply network to achieve the Green Heart Standard is a great achievement for the team.

“Working with LV= on the standard propelled us to develop our own core sustainability pledges, which consist of planet, people, performance and price, which is at the heart of our strategy as a responsible business now and into the future.”