One of the UK’s largest car insurers is now using green parts in around 1 in 5 of its vehicle repairs.
Ageas says green parts are regularly being used in 20-25% of its repairs, thanks to the expansion of its green parts programme and willingness of its repair network to embrace more sustainable repairs.
Ageas pushed the accelerator on its use of green car parts in March 2020, following a successful trial during 2019.
As part of the programme’s expansion, Ageas combined its salvage operation with its green parts supply, meaning if a customer’s car is written off in an accident, any perfectly good and undamaged parts from that car can get a new life by feeding into Ageas’s green parts supply chain.
The move has effectively created a circular economy within Ageas’s own repair ecosystem, feeding its own supply of ‘donor vehicles’ back into its repair network.
Now, around 1 in 5 of the green parts Ageas uses now comes from its own salvaged vehicle supply.
Head of Claims Paul Llewellyn says:
Our repair network has really embraced the idea of using green parts wherever possible. We owe it to our customers and future generations to protect the environment and help secure the future of our planet and initiatives like our green parts programme support this ambition. Our green parts programme is just one way we’re doing that, and its success is testament to the way our repair network has really embraced it.
Bradley Hanson is Director of Innovation at Halo, part of Ageas’s repair network. He said:
We’ve found green parts have been fundamental in being able to get Ageas’ customers back on the road, particularly during the lockdowns of recent years. In some instances, it was difficult to source parts directly from manufacturers so Ageas’ green car parts partnership really shone through and enabled us to repair key workers’ cars within just a couple of days. Green parts meant we could supply Ageas’ customers with the speed of service that they would usually receive regardless of restrictions.
Hills Salvage is Ageas’s salvage provider and its green car parts arm, The Green Parts Specialists, is its green parts provider. By integrating the two, it means parts from Ageas’ salvaged vehicles feed back into its repair network as ‘green’ car parts.
Ian Hill, Managing Director at Hills Salvage, said:
We’re really pleased to be working with a forward-thinking insurer like Ageas, which recognises the benefits that this kind of circular economy brings to the environment and its customers. By extending the life of existing parts, we’re helping to reduce the need for more plastic, metal and glass to be produced.
Ageas has worked closely with its vehicle repair network to adopt a repair over replace approach over the years, including giving its repair centres access to specialist training.
It hopes to increase its use of green parts over coming years, with Robin Challand concluding:
We’re ambitious when it comes to our use of green parts. With the climate emergency, we can’t afford not to be.
Robin Challand, Claims Director, talks about our Green Parts Programme
