Between them, the initiatives that fleets in the Fleet News Power List have introduced have saved millions of tonnes of carbon, reduced costs by hundreds of thousands of pounds, and saved millions of miles in business travel.

Even though the fleets in the list are of vastly different sizes, from a wide range of businesses and with different kinds of fleet requirements, they have all recognised the value of green fleet management.

Amey Logistics has one of the widest varieties of vehicles in the table, with 708 cars, 326 pool cars, 1,969 vans, 885 heavy goods vehicles and 35,000 items of plant and equipment.

Amey produced almost 50,000 tonnes of carbon last year, of which 80% came from its transport activities. Its target is to reduce output in 2009 by 10% – no mean feat when the company is growing rapidly.

The strategy centres on supporting the growing green agenda while understanding the commercial challenges.

“We can’t just spend loads of money on technology and make ourselves uncompetitive,” says Steve Helliwell, Amey Logistics managing director. “But there is a balance to achieve.”
He has negotiated with BMW to get its sub-120g/km 1 Series and 3 Series into grades where they became accessible to non-executives.

A similar deal has been agreed with Audi, while Volkswagen has done roaring trade with the Golf BlueMotion.

Every vehicle grade now has a sub-120g/km option while Amey has capped CO2 at 160g/km for car grades and 225g/km for executives. Engine size has been limited to 2.5-litre.

With more than 10 million customers each year, leading London minicab company Addison Lee faced a complex challenge in its drive to help the environment.

As its mileage is dictated by clients, how could it cut the distance its vehicles travelled – and the fuel they used – without harming the business?

What managers discovered was a crucial window of opportunity for cutting mileage in the downtime each vehicle had while travelling to pick up new passengers or returning to base.

By consistently achieving small savings across its fleet of 2,200 minicabs, 200 motorcycles, 125 vans and 100 luxury coaches, the overall impact could be huge.

Lee Wickens, CSR and quality manager, whose role includes driving green initiatives and training, said: “Our main weapon is technology. We know exactly where vehicles are and can ensure we minimise the distance they have to cover to their next job.

“Each driver used to cover two miles to each pick-up and now that is under half-a-mile. One day we achieved a maximum average of 300 metres.

“By reducing the distance covered to pick-ups, we saved 16,000 miles a day. In addition, by drivers taking the last job of the day on the way home, we have saved a further 2,000 miles a day.

"These two initiatives alone saved five tonnes of CO2 per day.”

In total, Addison Lee’s initiatives have cut overall emissions by nearly 18% in five years, saving 22,000 tonnes of CO2. Its target is a 60% cut by 2025.

Simone Mann, co-founder and director of office supply service company Commercial Group, has put green issues at the heart of her successful business.

She recognised that the company had a duty to reduce emissions, particularly as customers might focus on suppliers who could prove they had implemented environmental measures.

Commercial Group targeted a 75% reduction in emissions over three years and found that more than 80% of its emissions were vehicle related.

Helped by an Energy Saving Trust Green Fleet Review, the fleet of more than 60 vehicles now uses bunkered biodiesel, sourced in the UK, and has a dynamic route mapping system developed by logistics manager Graham Paddock which has removed the need for two vans and helped cut fleet mileage by 89,000 miles.

As a result, fleet emissions are down 52%, saving more than 400 tonnes of CO2.

Furthermore, her achievements have earned national recognitions for her business and ensured other fleets can be inspired by the best practice achieved.