Contract hire and salary sacrifice provider, Tusker, has won a Green Apple Environmental Award for its innovative Green Project, which includes carbon offsetting on all new cars and free advice on ultra-low emission vehicles.
The Green Apple Environment Awards were launched in 1994 by The Green Organization and have become established as one of the major environmental recognition schemes, both in the UK and internationally.
Tusker’s Green Project has a number of environmental objectives – one of which is to have only carbon neutral cars on the road within the next three years.
To help achieve this, Tusker offers carbon offsetting for every new car added to the fleet, using a number of accredited offsetting schemes in conjunction with carbon offsetting specialists, Carbon Footprint. Tusker expects to offset 30,000 tons of tailpipe carbon emissions by the end of this year, rising to 60,000 tons in 2015.
“This initiative is unique in our industry. It allows our drivers to offset the carbon emissions of their chosen car free of charge against an offsetting scheme of their choice,” said Tusker Chief Operating Officer, Mark Sinclair.
Another innovation within the Green Project is a new microsite that promotes the cost and environmental benefits of ultra-low emission vehicles to all potential drivers.
The microsite is packed with useful information to educate employees and drivers on the benefits of going electric. It also offers tools to help them decide whether a ULEV is the right choice for their lifestyle with handy cost and CO2 comparison tools, an educational video, FAQs and charging information. Another key element of the Green Project is Tusker’s recent move to a green office park, which has supported the company‘s own carbon reduction through several green actions, including the appraisal of all electricity, water and waste usage.
This has also included adding four charging points to the company’s car park so that employees can run electric vehicles without recharging issues. Tusker currently has 12% EV penetration among its own company cars, with a target of 15% by the end of 2015, and aims to have 8% of its entire fleet as electric or hybrid vehicles within the next three years.
“We are delighted to have our environmental initiatives recognized through the Green Apple awards scheme and see it as a reward for all the investment and hard work that we have put into this area. Our Green Project will be reviewed and assessed at the end of 2014 with new objectives set for further developments in 2015,” added Mark Sinclair.
(Editor’s note: Salary sacrifice is the inclusion of employee benefits in an employee remuneration package in exchange for giving up part of monetary salary.)
