Fifth of fleets ‘have no plan’ to cut emissions

One in five companies have no plans to cut their fleet emissions, according to new research from YouGov.

Commissioned by fleet management company Gofor, the YouGov survey 1,000 senior HR decision-makers questioned plans for tackling the reduction of carbon emissions from fleets as part of an environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda.

The research forms part of a wider Gofor ESG white paper created to support small and medium sized businesses. 

Across all surveyed businesses that used vehicles, YouGov found that 21% either had no plans to reduce their fleet carbon output at any point or were unsure.

A further 11% expect to look at fleet decarbonisation in more than 12 months.

However, almost half (49%) of respondents were actively reducing their fleet carbon emissions; and a further 19% had plans to do so within the next year.

YouGov also questioned respondents on electric vehicle salary sacrifice - a tax efficient scheme often used by businesses as part of a fleet decarbonisation strategy.

Just one in five businesses is currently using EV salary sacrifice, with an additional one in five having plans to implement it. The remainder had mixed awareness of the scheme or were simply unsure.

Iain Bennett, Gofor’s managing director, said: “We’ve been surprised by just how many companies still need to formalise a fleet electrification plan and are yet to take up EV salary sacrifice.

“These findings will help organisations focus on the environmental opportunity presented by their company fleets and we can help them to realise this opportunity as part of a more advanced ESG plan.’

The YouGov findings are a core part of Gofor’s environmental, social and governance white paper entitled ‘ESG Matters: How fleet electrification can kick-start your ESG strategy’.   

The paper highlights that one of the biggest impacts on a business’s carbon footprint is likely to be its vehicle fleet.