Green Fleets – How companies can drive down costs and emissions

Publication date: 10th June 2015

Publication date: 
10 June, 2015
  • A new report from analysts CE Delft shows how corporate fleet managers have more power over the composition of our atmosphere than most politicians, or even most oil executives. Transport is responsible for nearly a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions, and road transport accounts for 72-81% of that. Europe’s corporate fleets produce around 380Mt CO2e annually, significantly more than the entire emissions of Spain.

    Improving the efficiency of road vehicles can seem an uphill challenge, with millions of separate consumer decisions involved. However, fleet managers are responsible for a large proportion of the vehicles on our roads, and can facilitate the shift to cleaner cars for private drivers, as well as improving the efficiency of freight transport. Fleet operators are responsible for 50% of new car purchases in Europe, and 54% in the UK.

    45% of the total GHG emissions from road transport in the EU come from company fleets. However, the impact of fleet managers’ purchasing decisions is far greater than this, as the majority of company cars are sold into the second hand car market, and so fleet managers control a large proportion of the supply of used vehicles in the private market.

    The report ‘Saving fuel, saving costs’ is a complete overview of the corporate fleet sector, the environmental impacts and financial costs of its fuel use, and options for reducing both. Corporate fleet managers could save millions of tonnes of CO2, and €28 billion a year, with available efficiency measures and clean technologies. Read the report in full, or download the summary.

    For SMEs and other businesses using light commercial vehicles the LowCVP is today launching a Low Emission Van Guide and web tool, to give direct practical guidance to fleet managers choosing between different models and drivetrains in different circumstances. LowCVP’s analysis shows that choosing the correct van can save a business an astonishing £18,000 over the vehicle’s lifespan.

    For more information please contact:
    Greenpeace UK Press Office
    020 7865 8255
    press.uk@greenpeace.org


Download the report: