UK Businesses Could Save Around GBP2.6 Billion a Year by Running Greener Company Car Fleets

LONDON, June 18 --

- A Report(i) From the Energy Saving Trust Reveals That 31 Per Cent of UK Businesses Still Believe That Running a More Environmentally Friendly Company Car Fleet Will Cost Money. In Contrast, Figures From the Energy Saving Trust Reveal That Implementing Green Fleet Management Could Save UK Businesses GBP2.6 Billion a Year at no Additional Cost(ii)

The Energy Saving Trust's Behind the Wheel report, launched today, examines business leaders' attitudes to their company car fleets and their impact on the environment. The report reveals a worrying lack of interest from many companies over their vehicles' impact on the environment and their bottom line. Company car fleets are frequently the second largest overhead a company incurs.

As well as making proven financial sense, running a green fleet can also impact greatly on an organisation's carbon footprint and contribute towards greater awareness amongst staff and customers of a company's commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.

In addition, Energy Saving Trust research shows that consumers are becoming more insistent on a company demonstrating its environmental credentials. Over half (58%) of consumers say they still want to see more evidence of what companies are doing about climate change(iii). Yet, in the Behind the Wheel report, fewer than half of the companies surveyed (48%) have CSR or environmental policy and of those only 42 per cent of companies take into consideration the impact of their vehicles on the environment in these policies.

Other key findings in the report show:

- Only half of UK businesses believe that running a greener fleet will save them money

- Only a quarter of companies offer incentives to employees to choose a lower CO2 car. Meaning that the majority of UK businesses promote the choice of cars with higher running costs that also increase the companies' carbon footprint.

- A fifth of companies (21%) still insist that eligible employees drive a car commensurate with their grade, meaning the higher the earner, the higher the CO2 emissions - despite the range of low CO2 executive cars now available.

- Just eleven per cent of UK companies that offer company cars have reviewed their fleets' carbon footprint.

Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust, commented "When it comes to company car fleets, the business case is the environmental case. Yet we frequently find that fleets are not being discussed at the right level in companies. Very few organisations discuss their company car fleet as a boardroom agenda item.

"Yet, the companies who have shown leadership at a high level are the ones who are implementing green fleet policies with tremendous success - in terms of carbon and monetary savings. As with any serious operational restructure, buy-in at the top is essential. Last year, we helped over 120 companies run a greener fleet through our free and impartial Green Fleet Review service which helps organisations improve the environmental performance of company fleets"

Through its funding from the Department of Transport, the Energy Saving Trust offers companies a free green fleet review to help reduce the environmental impact on the environment. Companies with a fleet of 50 vehicles or more, 20 or more in Scotland, can receive up to five days free consultancy from an industry professional. For those companies with 49 vehicles or less can receive free in depth telephone consultancy from the Energy Saving Trust. The green fleet review service enables companies and organisations to comprehensively assess the environmental impact of their fleets and save up to 15 per cent on their fuel bills each year.