The Independent Builders Merchant Group (IBMG) has slashed the carbon footprint of its fleet more than 50% using a new green fleet policy in conjunction with Fleet Alliance.

Marketing and ESG director Ian Kenny

The East Sussex-based group runs a fleet of 110 cars and vans, with some 40 grey fleet vehicles and 50 commercial vehicles, and has cut its footprint to an average of just 49.5g/km per vehicle.

The green fleet policy, introduced by Fleet Alliance as solus supply fleet management provider, is being rolled out on a region-by-region basis and stipulates that all new orders must be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) – which, in the main, means battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

The approach has already been deployed among the South Eastern counties of the business and, over the last two years, has enabled a 55% reduction in the overall group’s fleet carbon footprint, down from an average of 109g/km of CO2 per vehicle. The figure is set to fall further as the policy spreads more widely across the group; the plan is for all vehicles to be ULEVs by the end of 2024.

It’s proving a win-win-win approach for the business, its employees and customers.

Marketing and ESG director Ian Kenny explained: “Our objective as a group is to achieve net zero by 2030, and we aim to have all our vehicles falling into the ULEV category by the end of next year. As our carbon footprint continues to fall, this is very much to the benefit of our employees with more environmentally friendly vehicles and lower taxes, too.

“While this is in line with our own Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda, it is also in accord with that of our customers. Increasingly, we are seeing our customers in the built-in environment supplying highly energy-efficient products and materials, such as insulation and heat source pumps, to their customers as they transition to greater energy efficiency.

“It would therefore be inappropriate for us to be making customer visits in carbon-intensive vehicles, and this transition to greater energy efficiency is one that we are currently going through across our industry. This will only accelerate over time,” he said.

Group HR director Sarah Campbell said the move to a green fleet policy was proving popular, helped by the company’s comprehensive information to drivers, including on the Benefit-in-Kind benefits of lower-emission cars.

“Colleagues have bought in very quickly because of the amount of choice we were able to provide, often because hybrids have a better specification, and they have welcomed the very advantageous tax system for low carbon cars. It could not have been better received,” she said.