Firestone Complete Auto Care is going beyond compliance to aggressively reduce its environmental impact. And the company’s eco-friendly oil change services are just one part of this strategy, says John Sheerin, environmental director of Bridgestone Retail & Commercial Operations (BFRC).
Educating customers is critical to this mission, one of a number of areas in which the service chain plants its eco-flag, he notes. And with education, drivers are made aware of the environmental impacts that driver behavior and maintenance plays.
Owner BFRC says this is the first major chain to offer this greener oil change service, which includes a recycled, twice refined oil called EcoPower. The company adds that EcoPower is made from existing oil stocks but requires up to 85 percent less energy to produce than regular motor oil.
“It’s kind of a closed loop, where the oil is taken to a refiner,” says Sheerin, who lists the benefits of this closed loop system. For one thing, “it’s more energy efficient to make motor oil from dirty motor oil than oil from crude.”
Two pilot programs for this green oil change are under way in Portland, Ore., and Boston areas.
Sheerin says the success of the two pilot programs will determine whether the program will take a nationwide scope, which could potentially affect the 1,500 Firestone Complete Auto Care locations.
The company has branched into other areas of environmental consciousness, too, like last year’s “Get The Lead Out,” a program that made steel wheel weights available to customers, replacing the millions of lead wheel weights that each year are responsible for soil an water contamination.
“Lead is a toxic material,” says Sheerin. “Even though those lead wheel weights are small, some can find their way into the environment.”
The company has been able to get its suppliers to produce the necessary stocking weights in steel, along with working with the company’s racing division (Firestone Racing) to convert to steel weights.
All of the aforementioned environmental initiatives are components of the One Team One Planet program, which reaches customers at the community level.
“It’s homegrown, and it’s something we’re excited to bring to our teammates,” Sheerin adds.
Visit www.firestonecompleteautocare.com.
For more green coverage, please see the April issue of Aftermarket Business magazine.