Ex-rally car drivers Andrew Carter and Spotti Woodhead tested the limits of the Peugeot 308 HDi’s fuel efficiency of their own accord, driving it from Kleinzee to Umhlanga on a single 60 liter tank of diesel. Achieving 1689.7km (3.4 liters per 100km), their effort is considered a phenomenal success.

The tree planting ceremony followed the recommendations of an independent audit (commissioned by Peugeot) by the Global Carbon Exchange (GCX) who measured the carbon footprint created by the drive and the activities leading up to and surrounding the event.

According to GCX, 6.18 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) was emitted and as such, 18 trees would need to be planted to negate the effect to the environment.

Trees act as carbon sinks, trapping carbon during the natural process of photosynthesis. CO2 is absorbed by the tree during photosynthesis, and the carbon absorbed makes up much of the trees biomass.

The GCX have worked on the basis that a tree will absorb up to 500kg of CO2 over a 15 year period. They have also taken into account that almost 40% of the trees do not survive that 15 year period.

The trees were supplied by Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA), a non-governmental organization which aims to both improve the aesthetic appeal of urban landscapes and sequester CO2.

Peugeot have been involved with the Orange Farm community since 2002. They have partnered with local residents of Orange Farm Father Bourgeois Guido, founder of Inkanyezi and Philemon Tjeba, the new Project Director for the Inkanyezi Orange Farm Charity Fund to improve the lives of Orange Farm residents.
The initiative has already seen Peugeot build a community centre, a HIV/Aids testing and counseling centre and a crèche in various parts of the Orange Farm area.
While Peugeot did not initiate the development of the Thulamntwana facility – most of the funding has been provided by a French-based Catholic Church - Peugeot saw an opportunity to contribute by providing trees that would improve both the appearance of the facility and provide much needed shade and comfort to those who use it.

Still in the building stage of its development, once completed the facility will have a church, a crèche for children aged 2-5, a HIV/Aids centre which will provide counseling and anti-retrovirals, a sports ground and an after-school facility that will provide additional learning programmes to children from the surrounding schools. Skills development and education will also be included at a later stage.

For Father Guido, the trees will have a tremendous impact for the community who use the facility.

“They will add value to the property and provide shade for children and the people queuing outside the healthcare facility,” explains Guido. He continues, “I suppose I’m a bit Franciscan in my thinking, but watching another living organism grow alongside you has an effect on your wellbeing and cements the value of nature for the children.”

The white karee trees were specifically selected for their robustness in dry environments and their large foliage for additional shade. The ground-keepers are being taught how to care for the trees in a way that uses minimal water – a precious commodity in Orange Farm that can’t be wasted on excessive maintenance of the grounds.

The activities fit well with Peugeot’s environmental ethics, considering the 308 HDi’s lineage. It is a child of Peugeot’s Blue Lion strategy. Launched in 2007, Blue Lion was a consolidation of Peugeot’s numerous environmental initiatives that saw the creation of a standard by which their vehicles could be judged as environmentally friendly.

The strategy also encompasses many of Peugeot’s environmental activities, The creation of the HDi engine and Operation Carbon – a 40 year reforestation project of the 10 000 hectares of the Fazenda Sao-Nicolau region in the Amazon that will study the link between reforestation, carbon capture and biodiversity while absorbing some 7.32 million tonnes of CO2 a year – are just a few of the items on Peugeot’s green agenda.

Mike Wilson, marketing manager of Peugeot Motors South Africa, stated that, “Making the Coast2Coast event carbon neutral neatly compliments the efforts Peugeot designers went to when putting the 308 HDi on the road, which has a CO2 emissions level of 134g/km.”

CEO of GCX Kevin James commented on the importance of carbon emission monitoring and Peugeot’s approach to the Coast2Coast event, “What Peugeot have done is very forward thinking. Carbon emission audits are definitely an emerging market, and companies are seeking the opportunity to differentiate themselves through conducting business in a sustainable way.”

“An event like this is still about promoting your product - and it is an activity that should be offset by purchasing carbon credits in some form to reduce the carbon impact. I think one of the things that an audit ultimately does is create awareness that every action has consequences.

“Peugeot is the first vehicle manufacturer to contact us with regard to a carbon emission audit, and in these trying economic times - where many car manufacturers are focusing purely on reducing costs and increasing sales - I believe they can pat themselves on the back for still taking the initiative to determine the impact and do something about it.”

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Today your average Peugeot dealer has a host of cars to suit almost any purpose. What you may not realise however is that the history of this French car manufacturer is a fascinating tale that goes back over one hundred years. In the early days the Peugeot factory manufactured steel rods that were used in the bows for crinoline dresses, a product far removed from the cars we see on dealer forecourts today. This type of manufacturing however led the company into an important development, with knowledge of steel and in particular the bending of steel Peugeot was able to construct bicycles. In the nineteenth century the company produced a bike called 'Le Grand Bi' more colloquially known as the penny farthing.

At this stage the company was named Armand Peugeot and it was not until late in the nineteenth century that they produced their first motor car. This model was a tri-wheeled steam driven car that was made in incredibly small numbers; it is believed that only four were ever made. Understandably it is doubtful that such a car would be present on dealer forecourts toady, the majority are in museums in France. Steam driven cars had a short lifespan however and after the turn of the century Peugeot moved to producing cars with the internal combustion engine; with the assistance of Gottlieb Daimler.

Early cars still used steel wheels however although it was Peugeot who led the way in the introduction of rubber tyres, these early tyres however were solid rather than the pneumatic variants we use today. The company at this stage entered motor racing for the first time in a variety of road races around France.

Thanks to the raised profile due to success in motor racing, the company became popular with the French public, selling around three hundred cars a year at the turn of the century. This is quite an impressive feat considering that in the whole of France only twelve hundred were sold annually. In these years the company were also producing motorcycles thanks to the knowledge gained in the manufacturing of bikes. The popularity with the French at this point was assured, in 1903 the dealer car sales made up over half of the total sales within the country.

Twenty years later, despite the success of the company they decided to split their efforts, one half focussing on the bikes and motorcycles and one focussing on the manufacturing of cars. At this point the car manufacturing company came into its own, with the 201 model being marketed as the cheapest car in all of France; showing a dispensation for producing cars for ordinary members of the public. As previously stated Peugeot have always strived to innovate the market, during this period they developed the retractable roof and styled their cars in a curvaceous way that was popular with the French public.

The wars years saw a period of downtime for the company although in the post war years Peugeot attempted to court business in the booming United States. This was not totally successful due to the insular nature of the US car market although through a number of collaborations with Renault and Volvo in Europe the company was able to survive the post war decades. In the seventies the company was pulled into the PSA (Peugeot Societe Anonyme) parent company that also owned Citroen making it the largest car manufacturer in France with a dealer in almost every town.

Poor growth in the eighties was problematic for the company although the nineties saw resurgence and the creation of a strong position coming into the new century. Today it is one of the most popular European manufacturers with a range of cars to suit families, singles and even the executive. As the car market becomes evermore aggressive and competitive this company that started its life making dresses will have to continue to innovate to stay ahead.

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