Van fleets should focus on going green – it could give them a competitive advantage.

That’s the advice from Simon de Grey, an environmental and health and safety expert at training company Pivotal Performance.

He was reacting to new research by the Environment Agency which revealed UK companies are losing interest in reducing the impact of their business on the environment.

Only one-in-five is planning to invest in making their business more environmentally friendly in the next 12 months.

De Grey said: “A properly planned and executed environmental management programme will benefit virtually any business in a number of ways.

“It’s got very little to do with being seen to do the right thing and has a lot to do with improving any company’s bottom line.

“Businesses that make a significant commitment to going green tend to see costs drop as they review working practices and cut back on packaging and waste. 

“Secondly, they gain a powerful marketing tool that competitors cannot quickly copy.”

He added: “There is a lot of attention on protecting the environment at the moment and if you can make a significant difference with your business, it’s a great PR opportunity.”

The Environmental Agency research found that only 7% of businesses think that they have a negative effect on the environment – where actually nearly half do.

And while more than half of the UK’s small businesses have an environmental policy, many tend to overestimate the effectiveness of their efforts.