As more collision repair shops convert to waterborne paint, upgrade to energy-efficient equipment and lighting, and look for other ways to make their shops more efficient, reduce VOC emissions and comply with state and federal environmental regulations, many have begun touting their new “green business” status in their marketing materials.
But what is the value of marketing a shop’s environmental practices to customers, particularly when bottom-line-focused insurance companies drive so much of the collision business? And how can shops let their customers know that their green practices aren’t just puffed up marketing jargon?
Shop owner Jacques Andres first started thinking about his business’s environmental impact after driving home in a newly painted car. Dust and particles from the paint job had lodged in the carpet and interior, making him sick every time he drove it.
“After I drove it for 15 minutes, I’d have a runny nose, watery eyes and swollen glands, almost like I was coming down with the flu,” Andres says. “Through closer inspection of the car I found there was primer dust, sanding dust and paint dust in the rugs and the heating and air vents. I realized there are a lot of processes around hazmat that aren’t really being controlled.”
Not long afterward, he rebranded the body shop side of his Oakland-based Baybridge Motors business as Clean Green Collision in 2004, and redesigned the shop with new collection and filtration systems to reduce emissions. Andres switched to waterborne paints and a UV curing system that eliminates the need for solvents. He also designed a dust filter that recirculates and captures sanding and paint emissions, and added new ceiling dust filters. He also takes care to seal off the windows, doors and ventilation systems in the vehicles his staff repairs to prevent any pollution inside the car.
Clean Green services medium to higher-end clients, and gains most of its business through word-of-mouth or walk-in customers. Environmental marketing doesn’t necessarily bring clients in the door, but Andres says it does make an impact on customers.
“There is support, mostly once customers come in to get an estimate and they see what we’re doing,” Andres says. “It’s a good selling tool at that point.”
Marketing a green shop to high-end customers in California is one thing, but what about other parts of the country where waterborne hasn’t been mandated yet, and customers aren’t necessarily worried about body shop emissions? Shops in other states also have taken a proactive position on waterborne, and hope to use their environmentally friendly shop practices to gain new business.
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