Standard Bank introduces Eco2fleet
CONCERN with the environment and demanding corporate reporting standards on sustainability issues are causing fleet operators internationally to reassess the impact that their vehicles emissions have on the atmosphere.
But, says Standard Bank Fleet Management, South African fleet managers have yet to follow their counterparts and fully realise the benefits of introducing “green fleets” to the country.
Dr. David Molapo, head of Fleet Management in the Vehicle and Asset Finance division at Standard Bank, says that the introduction of legislation for a carbon tax on vehicles marked the beginning of future industry changes. These will play a part in reducing greenhouse emissions in South Africa and aligning the country with international best practices.
“The push to include the impact that company fleets have on the environment will be apparent first in SA’s listed companies and within companies that have international parents who will want to include local subsidiaries in their overall statutory sustainability reporting,” Molapo said.
“Fleet owners here should therefore examine international trends and begin developing policies and reporting standards that align them with these trends. The logical time to do this is when fleets are being renewed or upgraded.”
Instead of adopting a “wait and see” attitude about emission control, fleet owners would do well to begin examining their existing fleets and planning for the future. By familiarising themselves with the carbon footprints of their fleets now, managers will be able to ensure that they are ready for change when it occurs.
Molapo said that it was understandable that there was little incentive to “go green” amongst South African fleet owners and operators. It has never been a business imperative and information on emissions tends to be restricted to vehicle specifications as published by vehicle manufacturers.
However, in response to anticipated increasing demand for information about vehicle emissions and carbon footprints, Standard Bank last year introduced a sophisticated online measurement tool, ECO2Fleet.
ECO2Fleet calculates the size of a fleet’s carbon footprint - the amount of carbon dioxide released by the vehicles into the atmosphere - and presents the data in a publishable format, ready for inclusion in a board report or an environmental impact assessment.