Britain’s biggest car factory is surrounded by wind turbines, solar panels and nature. At Nissan’s Sunderland plant, the Japanese car maker says that cutting-edge engineering is meeting a growing commitment to sustainability and decarbonization.

Since installing its first wind turbines in 2005, Nissan has steadily increased its reliance on renewable energy. Taking center stage are ten wind turbines and over 37,000 solar panels, which generate 20% of the plant’s electricity needs.

And now, the Japanese carmaker has completed the development of a new rewilding project to improve biodiversity in surrounding marshlands.

These initiatives form part of Nissan’s EV36Zero blueprint, an ambitious £3 billion project combining electric vehicle production, renewable energy, and next-generation battery technology. The goal is to eventually create a hub for sustainable automotive manufacturing.

The rewilding project, completed in just over a year in partnership with Atrato Partners, has turned marshland into a biodiversity haven.

Invasive shrubs were removed, habitats revitalized, and a viewing hide was built for monitoring wildlife. Animals spotted here include badgers, deer, water voles, and breeding birds of prey, such as kestrels and buzzards. Plant species like bee orchids and cowslips are also thriving.

Andy Barker, Infrastructure Manager at Nissan, is hopeful the project will encourage other automotive manufacturers to follow suit in wider industrial sustainability efforts.

Barker says, “We knew that the land was basically unutilized, so this is basically our plan to regenerate that. The urban regeneration is something that is really active in the UK at the moment, and we’ve seen the ideal opportunity to participate in that. So, we’d like to think, yes, we can be a leader for other automotive manufacturers or industry leaders to follow.”

Tim Pollard, Group Editorial Director, Bauer Media thinks the company’s environmental ambitions are a welcome start to its decarbonization plans.

Pollard says, “And I think the rewilding projects underline Nissan’s commitment to sustainability. This is the company, one of the biggest carmakers in the world, who is basically on a journey towards decarbonizing totally by 2050.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.