THE Government's ambition to introduce a Greener Fleet Certification Scheme took a major step forward this week with the appointment of experts to devise a workable programme. A joint tender by Fleet Audits - whose managing director is Fleet NewsNet columnist Stewart Whyte - and AEA Technology (parent of ETSU, the energy efficiency and sustainable energy specialist) has won the contract to devise the scheme, due for launch next year.

The scheme aims to encourage fleets to adopt voluntary targets to improve their fuel efficiency and reduce their mileage, and was one of the key recommendations of the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force. Companies that meet the scheme's targets will be entitled to display the green certificate as evidence of their environmental credentials. Transport minister Lord Macdonald said: 'Greener fleet management is good for business and good for the environment. It has been estimated that British business could save over £450 million a year if it was to reduce its fleet fuel consumption by just 10%.'

Fleet Audits' Whyte said the scheme would have to be attractive to the widest possible audience, and its targets would have to be both meaningful and achievable. He added that the combination of AEA's experience of energy saving techniques with Fleet Audits' specialist fleet knowledge would: 'develop a very powerful, very effective scheme that will make a real difference to the emissions of UK fleet.'