ONE of Britain's most environmentally-conscious fleet managers has devised a system which enables him to calculate the damage caused to the environment by every one of the 500 company cars he controls. Simon Boggis, national fleet manager of TNT International, has compiled a unique computerised system which tells him how much carbon dioxide each car emits into the atmosphere on almost a daily basis throughout the three-year/90,000-mile lifecycles.

For two months, he has been collating data on vehicle emissions and fine tuning the system which records actual mileages, average monthly mileages and, using manufacturer-supplied data, calculates the millions of grammes of CO2 emitted. Armed with this information, Boggis will tailor his car-buying policy to ensure it is as environmentally sound as possible. He is also considering asking drivers of cars with excessive mileage to swap with another driver whose vehicle has a relatively low mileage.

Boggis, who operates an almost exclusive Rover 200 and 400 diesel fleet, said: 'This is not about making big policy decisions but we are making ourselves more aware of what the implications are of a company car tax policy based on CO2 emissions before it becomes legislation. We will also be in a position to adapt to any changes. It's about being one step ahead.' He conceded that persuading drivers to accept vehicle rotation might be difficult.