Green take-up at Archant is ahead of target

Earlier this year Archant appointed fleet management specialist CLM to manage its 550-strong national car fleet, to generate cost savings in the areas of vehicle acquisition and servicing and to help reduce the fleet’s carbon footprint through environmental initiatives.

One of CLM’s recommendations on being appointed was to switch the job need fleet to diesel with the intention of driving down the current CO2 emission levels from the current average of 146g/km to around 118g/km.

Traditionally the majority of the company’s 550 fleet cars have been Vauxhall Astras, which  are being replaced with the latest eco-FLEX Astra, but for those that feel they can go that little bit further in the ‘green’ stakes, there is also the option of a Corsa.

While the ‘old’ diesel Astra emitted 119g of carbon per km, the new one emits 109g/km of carbon dioxide but the Corsa ecoFLEX is greener still, emitting just 98g/km of CO2, which is a significant saving.

An Archant driver who selects a smaller vehicle is also entitled to a £40 a month incentive, equivalent to the Benefit-in-Kind tax bill for having the equivalent company car.

Greg Parton, Archant’s head of procurement and sustainability, said: “In a report for the board, I originally budgeted on a 10% take-up for this project but, as you can see from the figures, it’s actually about 30% – and that’s great.

“While Archant is not saving any money by introducing it, we are doing our bit for the environment,” he said.

The financial incentive is not just available for people who pick the Corsa but also for those who are entitled to a higher grade of car. Staff will be offered the greener option once their present car reaches the end of its four year life with Archant.

CLM managing director Tony Hulatt commented: “Archant is to be applauded for its environmental initiative and for encouraging the take-up of greener, less polluting vehicles.

“The effectiveness of the campaign has been proven by the uptake by employees which is more than three times than that projected, so clearly the scheme has been a great success.”