Managing your Fleets Carbon Footprint

Green Transport Week is upon us, this is a week set aside to reflect upon the amount of air pollution produced by urban commuting and the effect this has on our global environment. During this week awareness is raised in hopes that solutions can be realised sooner and that the conversation around this topic is generated further.

In today’s business, world companies cannot continue unaware of their impact on the environment. It is important for companies to address this issue and find solutions and opportunities to reduce their costs and emissions. Companies need to recognise that they have a role to play in safety, quality of life and health. Green Transport Week celebrates sustainable transport, we recommend following these tips on how your company’s fleet can join in on the celebration, helping your company stay ahead of the curve.

Measuring your Fleet’s Carbon footprint:

• To reduce your fleet’s carbon footprint you need to measure it. To calculate your fleet’s carbon footprint you require access to information on the annual fuel consumption of each vehicle in your fleet.
• Calculating the carbon emissions of your fleet vehicles:
  For diesel vehicles: Take the number of liters of diesel used, multiply by 2.63 and divide by 1000.
  For petrol vehicles: Take the number of liters of petrol used, multiply by 2.32 and divide by 1000.
• With this knowledge you can set a target for the emissions reduction you wish to achieve and a timescale in which to achieve them by. Start by reducing emissions by a set percentage each year.

Be eco-friendly with fleet management:

• Drivers need to adopt a greener driving style. A stable and fluid-driving style is not only more eco-friendly, but also more cost efficient. Do not speed or stop-start in heavy traffic.
• Choose less polluting vehicles for your fleet – promote vehicles with low CO2 emissions.
• Vehicles need to be regularly serviced; a poorly maintained vehicle has greater fuel consumption and higher emissions.
• Analyse and record business travel, this way you will be able to identify opportunities to reduce mileage.
• Individual’s fuel consumption needs to be recorded to encourage fuel-efficient driving.
• To enable drivers to avoid congestion and use the most efficient route, promote technologies such as satellite navigation and telematics.
• Alternatives to business travel such as tele/video conferencing should be reviewed as a possible substitute.

Undertaking the implementation of a green fleet policy is not difficult to do. It will not only decrease your company’s environmental impact but is also an effective way of reducing fleet cost, whilst addressing corporate social responsibility issues. So choose to make the difference this Green Transport Week.