Vehicle emissions parts supplier BM Catalysts has become an affiliated member of the Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality. The initiative was set up to help improve air quality in the UK.
The UK manufacturer and exporter of catalytic converters, DPFs and front pipes, has joined alongside a number of companies to campaign for improved air quality using evidence-based research to shape policy and legislation.
In recent months, BM Catalysts has been raising awareness of the issue in the automotive aftermarket, fuelled by the complexities of type approval legislation and the rising price of Platinum Group Metals used in the production of catalytic converters.
The company has valid concerns that with the price of metals rising, customers will turn to cheaper products that will not do an efficient job in monitoring and reducing vehicle emissions. While much focus on emissions is levied on the main automotive market, as carmakers rush to produce battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to ensure CO2 levels from their fleets fall within targets, the aftermarket has its part to play.
The government’s plans to ban the sale of internal-combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from 2030, extending to hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models by 2035, will place greater attention on the aftermarket. ICE models will remain on roads for many years to come, and as these will be the main contributors to air pollution, substandard emissions products will take away from the hard work done by the rest of the industry in the fight to improve our climate.
Clean air
The affiliation to the commission comes on the UK’s largest air pollution campaign Clean Air Day (17 June 2021), which engages thousands of people at hundreds of events, and reaching millions more through the media. The aim of the campaign is to improve public understanding of air pollution, build awareness of how air pollution affects our health and explain the easy actions we can all do to tackle air pollution, helping to protect the environment and our health.
“Air quality is an issue the automotive aftermarket can no longer ignore and the industry has a responsibility to clean up its act on harmful emissions,” commented Toby Massey, managing director at BM Catalysts.
“We are extremely pleased to have joined the Westminster Commission for Road Air Quality. It’s been very clear, following our early discussions, that the spotlight is on our trade and so everyone in the supply chain – manufacturers, parts distributors and garages – have an important role to play in ensuring the products they supply and fit are legal and function correctly.”
The Commission, headed up by Barry Sheerman MP, consists of six working parties to discuss, debate and agree on policy recommendations. These working parties provide quarterly reports for the All-Parliamentary Clean Air Group to help shape Government policies.
“According to the World Health Organisation air pollution kills an estimate of about seven million people per year around the world,” added Sheerman. “This number is shocking but, more importantly, it is also preventable. By taking a deep look into one of the biggest sources of air pollution – road transport – this Commission will take an important step in solving one of the biggest health and environmental issues of our time.”
