Is it easy to be green?

Van users should not shy away from sustainability challenges, according to The Fuelcard People. Steve Clarke, group marketing manager, said: “We have all heard the song, It’s Not Easy Being Green, but being greener is not as tough as some might think. The easiest place to start is with monitoring and managing emissions.”

He said that some emissions management actions have to be long-term measures, such as vehicle procurement strategies. Others can be carried out in the medium term, such rigorous service scheduling and preventative maintenance.

“Some emissions reduction measures can be implemented immediately,” said Steve Clarke. “These include training personnel in economical driving techniques and offering incentives for lower individual fuel consumptions. Even checking tyre pressures can help, as driving with incorrectly inflated tyres increases consumption and emissions. The most important action is to begin with measuring. If you do not know how high your emissions are, you can hardly know if you are reducing them.”

Van users can monitor emissions, vehicle by vehicle, across the whole fleet by using CO₂Count. This service is available to any customer of The Fuelcard People and offers a fleetwide emissions analysis alongside every routine invoice. For a nominal sum, firms can track CO₂, NO_x and CH₄ emissions.

“Any business using road transport faces challenges in reducing its carbon footprint,” said Steve Clarke, “but counting, cutting and controlling vehicle emissions is the place to start. Being greener can be easier than you might have thought.”