A SURVEY of hundreds of UK fleets has added weight to calls for the industry and the government to do more to encourage fleets to go green.

Fewer than 5% of fleets questioned were found to be taking any positive action to reduce their carbon footprint.

But the company behind the results suggest that apathy is not to blame and instead fleets want proper guidance on going green.

Cfc solutions asked 400 of its customers whether they were taking management measures to cut the CO2 emitted by their vehicles. Just 4.5% of respondents gave positive responses. The results come soon after Fleet News reported that fleets wanting to go green are being hindered in their efforts by a lack of consensus by manufacturers over the way forward, as well as a lack of clear advice from the government (Fleet News, April 12).

Concerns were raised by bosses at leasing company Lombard who attended a green show and found many visitors were unclear on the options available to fleets.

Commenting on the findings, cfc solutions’ business leader Andy Leech said: ‘Probably for the first time, there is genuine impetus in the fleet industry to adopt top-to-bottom environmental policies that will cut CO2 emissions – but little direction is being given on what should be done.

‘Advice and guidance from the government and the various bodies it funds has been piecemeal and confusing over recent years. For example, support for LPG through reduced duty has produced little in the way of results and the shift towards biodiesel in the recent budget has not been supported with any strategic explanation.

‘The Energy Saving Trust has done some good work with its Green Fleet Reviews but only in a relatively small number of cases and its resources are clearly limited.

Something more substantial is needed to capitalise on the impetus that exists now in the fleet industry.

‘The government should be striking while the iron is hot.’

What do you think? Email fleetnews@emap.com.