When it comes to protecting the environment at dealerships and service facilities, it is often the small things that count. Sometimes it’s as simple as providing customers with a more eco-friendly form of alternative transportation.

Volkswagen dealership Ernst-Auto in Coburg, Germany, loans bicycles to customers to use while their cars are being serviced or repaired. “It is flat to the city center from our dealership. So it is really fun in good weather,” co-CEO Joachim Ernst said.

Alternatively, customers are offered a bus ticket or they can take a shuttle vehicle powered by natural gas. In each case, the customer gets around in a more ecologically friendly way than with a loaner vehicle.

There are many other ways that a dealer can help protect the environment while saving and making money. A company, however, needs cash for the initial investment. For example, Ernst-Auto spent 66,000 euros for a photovoltaic system on the roof of its showroom. Because of the energy produced by the system, the business should recoup the cost of its investment in 10 years and reap the rewards from that point on.

Older dealerships such as Ernst’s offer a large number of opportunities for improvement. Since the 1990s, when environmental protection became a top priority at the company, Ernst-Auto has spent 30,000 euros on a fine-dust exhaust system in the paint shop and 15,000 euros on a water treatment facility.

Gottfried Schultz, one of Germany’s largest dealer groups with more than 25 stores selling VW Group brands, also has had the environment on the agenda for a long time. For instance, an employee has been assigned responsibility for job safety and environmental protection, Schultz aftersales manager Engelbert Liptow said. But even at big dealer groups, environmental protection often takes place in small ways. It is a matter of not leaving coffee machines and personal computers on in the evening, Liptow said. “And the crucial part is to turn off lights,” he said. “Drive by any number of other dealerships, and you will see lights burning even at night, when no one is coming by.”

He said other efforts that are made to help save include: changing to more efficient light bulbs, shut-off timers for the ventilation system, and water pumps that make pressure adjustments. At a dealer group like Gottfried Schultz, investments made to reduce energy costs have the potential to bring massive savings. “If we cut our electrical consumption by 10 percent, that is 150,000 euros a year,” Liptow said.

Energy is not the only area. Waste separation also pays off by supplying the maximum amount of raw material for reuse. In the case of oil filters, paper and metal are separated. It has been possible to save money on waste disposal since the 1980s by separating trash. The small details count here as well. For example, using washable instead of disposable towels. Like Ernst-Auto, the Schultz group’s stores offer loaner bicycles and pre-paid bus tickets.

Feser-Graf is the second-largest dealer in VW’s German retail network, trailing only Gottfried Schultz. Feser-Graf also has solar cells – on the roof of its Nuremberg headquarters, for example. “It always pays off,” says Volker Blanck, the service manager at Feser-Graf’s main building. He expects similar results from the planned switch to LEDs from regular light bulbs in the service department. Feser-Graf has also tried to offer loaner bikes, with little success. For instance, the firm’s Nuremberg clientele includes many fleet customers who are not inclined to ride bikes in their suits.

As an alternative, Feser-Graf partnered with the Traffic Club for Greater Nuremberg so it can give service customers coupons for local public transportation. The customer receives the coupons with the service contract in the form of a sticker. The dealership pays about half the normal ticket price.