Environmental protection is now one of the top three priorities for fleet managers, according to a new survey.

While duty of care and reducing fleet costs are the top two priorities, according to a survey from Hitachi Capital, green issues have now made it into the top three.

The survey of customers and prospects revealed that overall expectations of their fleet provider have changed, prompted by fleet managers reassessing their own areas of major concern and starting to think seriously about green issues.

Reducing overall environmental impact was found to be a concern to 85% of organisations surveyed, yet 41% of respondents still do not include an environmental strategy in their fleet policy.

“The survey highlights how green issues have become a concern at the forefront of any business practice but people are still looking for guidance when it comes to implementing change.

"What fleet managers may not realise is that a greener fleet is often a safer and more cost-effective one,” said Philip Peace, director of sales at Hitachi Capital.