Environmental performance: transport and distribution

With these factors in mind, there can be little doubt that transport, business traveling, goods movement and delivery, industrial transport, non-road machinery and even generators, compressors or powered estate/garden management machinery, today play an essential role in the business, economic (and social life) of every label converter company and of its employees, whether traveling to work, traveling as part of their work, shipping finished labels to customers, moving pallets, reels, inks, waste, etc, within the factory, generating electrical power or to power compressors or pumps, or at home. Such activities are believed to account for more than 20-30 percent of primary energy usage in developed countries.

Other recent studies have indicated that up to 94 percent of measured business emissions may come from just four areas – business travel, commercial vehicles, plant fuel and energy for offices. Carbon reduction strategies therefore need to focus on these areas. Each area needs an action plan, with various initiatives set out to meet reduction targets. This article looks at the travel, transport, distribution and plant fuel engine aspects.

Perhaps more worryingly for the environment, about 98 percent of the energy and carbon emissions used during transport, travel, factory combustion engines and distribution come from fossil fuels, making these activities a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.

Looked at more widely, they also contribute towards global warming, acid rain, ozone depletion, asthma and respiratory problems, noise, road building, traffic and factory accidents, vehicle waste and the use of scarce resources. Certainly a challenge for the label industry that is worth tackling, but one that may easily be overlooked.

When assessing the environmental issues of industry supplier or label converter transport, distribution, goods movement, generation, ground maintenance, etc, the supplier or label converter needs to understand:

• The nature and usage of all their business  transport requirements

• The problems that such transport creates. This includes supplier transport and carriers

• How transport is used in the organization e.g. for deliveries, travel between different factory sites, sales teams, management, on site etc

• The different types of transport used e.g. trucks, vans, cars, fork lifts, other industrial trucks, ground maintenance (petrol mowers, chain saws) etc

• How to measure and monitor transport carbon emissions

• The problems involved in reducing transport usage

• The methods of reducing fuel/travel e.g. vehicle maintenance, driver training, journey planning, flexible working practices, using local suppliers/carriers, changing driver behavior, purchasing lower carbon emission vehicles, maybe encouraging employees to use cycles, pool cars, rail freight, etc

• ‘Greener’ driving techniques e.g. driving economically, ’greener‘ fuels, route planning etc

• The problems associated with trying to cut travel and transport

• How to go about auditing travel and transport usage

• How to gain employee support and suggestions for reducing the impact of transport

• How to introduce proposed travel and transport changes in the organization

So what types of transport, machinery and equipment need to be considered when looking to reduce energy, carbon emissions and waste, and reduce costs?

In general, these can be considered in terms of road vehicles or as non-road vehicles, then further split by types of vehicle or combustion engine. This can be seen in Fig 7.1.

Vans that are over the new limits will be subject to a penalty of €95 per gram from 2019 onwards.

TYPE OF FUEL USED IN COMPANY VEHICLES

The type of fuel used is closely linked to emissions. Diesel engines generally produce lower levels of CO. emissions than petrol engines. Similarly, vehicles powered by Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) emit less CO. than equivalent petrol engines. Electric cars produce no emissions. There are also other types of ’greener‘ fuels.

In the UK a color-coded environmental labeling scheme has been introduced for new cars sold in showrooms. This is used to illustrate the climate change impacts of different cars. It also emphasizes the link between better environmental performance and lower road tax and lower running costs. The labeling system mirrors important aspects of the energy efficiency labels that appear on 'white goods', such as refrigerators and washing machines. Cars are given a rating from A through to G, with A-rated cars having the lowest emissions. 

The categories used are consistent with the CO. bandings used for Vehicle Excise Duty ('road tax') to ensure that the environmental message is backed up by a clear fiscal signal: lower carbon emissions = lower road tax. The label (example shown above) also provides clear running cost information showing that lower emission vehicles are cheaper to run.

In the US, the official government website for fuel economy information sets out guidelines about all types of alternative fuels used for vehicles, whether for company or private usage. A summary of some of these guidelines are set out below:

Electric vehicles (EVs) - Electric vehicles are those propelled by an electric motor (or motors) and powered by rechargeable battery packs. Vehicles propelled by electric motors have several advantages over conventional internal combustion engine. They are more energy efficient, converting 75 percent of the chemical energy from the batteries into power to drive the wheels. Internal combustion engines only convert 20 percent of the energy story in the gasoline/petrol.

Electric powered vehicles are also more environmentally friendly, emitting no tailpipe pollutants, are quiet, smoother operating and have stronger acceleration than internal combustion engines.

However, they do still have some battery-related challenges in that they can only go about 100-200 miles (160-320 kilometers) before recharging and take up to 4-8 hours to fully recharge. The large battery packs – which are heavy and take up a lot of space – are expensive and may need to be replaced one or more times during the vehicle’s life. These challenges are continually being researched with a view to improving battery driving range, recharging time, battery weight and space, and purchase costs.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) - Hybrid electric vehicles combine the benefits of gasoline/petrol engines and electric motors and are today configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.

The electric motor in HEVs is used to provide additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing or hill climbing, so allowing a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.

Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) - Flexible fuel vehicles are designed to run on gasoline/petrol, or a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol. Except for a few engine and fuel system modifications, vehicles are more or less identical to gasoline/petrol-only models. FFVs are said to experience no loss in performance when operating on the fuel blend. However, since ethanol contains less energy per volume than gasoline/petrol, FFVs typically get about 25-30 percent fewer miles per gallon (kilometers per liter) than when fuelled with an ethanol blend.

Biodiesel fuelled vehicles - SBiodiesel is a form of diesel engine fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable and produces less air pollutants than petroleum-based diesel.

Biodiesel can be used in a pure form, or blended with petroleum diesel. Common blends include B2 (a two percent biodiesel), B5, and B20. B2 and B5 can be used safely in most diesel engines. However, most vehicle manufacturers do not recommend using blends greater than B5, and engine damage caused by higher blends is not covered by some manufacturer warranties.

Other alternative fuels - These are fuels that are derived from resources other than petroleum. They may be produced domestically (reducing dependence on imported oil), while some are derived from renewable sources. Often, they produce less pollution than gasoline or diesel.

To promote alternative fuels in the US, the federal government offers tax incentives to consumers purchasing qualifying alternative fuel vehicles.

Alternative fuels include ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG).

MORE EFFICIENT USE OF COMPANY CARS, VANS AND TRUCKS

Looking at various company, government, national and international guidelines and recommendations aimed at improving fuel usage efficiency, it is possible to summarize some of the key points that a label converter can look to their drivers to implement. These include:

Efficient use of gears - Always driving in the highest possible gear without laboring the engine. A vehicle traveling at a speed of 60km (37mph) in third gear will use 25 percent more fuel than when it is traveling at the same speed in fifth gear. Use overdrive gearing whenever possible, which reduces the vehicles engine speed, both saving fuel and reducing engine wear.

Avoid excessive idling - Idling gets zero miles/km per gallon or liter. Vehicles with larger engines typically waste more fuel at idle than do cars with smaller engines. Therefore, when stuck in stationary traffic for more than a few minutes, always look to switch off the engine – so helping to reduce fuel consumption and CO. emissions.

Use of cruise control - Using cruise control on motorways, highways, autobahns, etc, helps to maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will reduce fuel consumption.

Service vehicles regularly - A poorly maintained vehicle will pollute the environment significantly more than a well-maintained one. Indeed, research suggests that up to 50 percent of pollution from vehicles is caused by just 10-20 percent of them.

Drive off immediately - Leaving the engine running before setting off increases the time it takes to warm up to optimum operating temperature. This results in increased levels of harmful emissions. Instead, drive off as soon as possible (ensuring first that windows are clear of ice and condensation), but drive gently until the engine has reached its normal operating temperature.

Smooth driving techniques - Get used to thinking ahead so as to avoid excessive braking and acceleration. Developing smooth driving techniques can increase vehicle fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Avoid aggressive driving - Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes fuel and can lower fuel consumption by 33 percent at highway/motorway speeds and by five percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for the driver, passengers and other road users, so saving more than fuel money.

Observe speed limits - Each vehicle reaches its optimum fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), with fuel consumption per mile/km reducing rapidly at speeds above 60mph/95kph.

Vans that are over the new limits will be subject to a penalty of €95 per gram from 2019 onwards.

TYPE OF FUEL USED IN COMPANY VEHICLES

The type of fuel used is closely linked to emissions. Diesel engines generally produce lower levels of CO. emissions than petrol engines. Similarly, vehicles powered by Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) emit less CO. than equivalent petrol engines. Electric cars produce no emissions. There are also other types of ’greener‘ fuels.

In the UK a color-coded environmental labeling scheme has been introduced for new cars sold in showrooms. This is used to illustrate the climate change impacts of different cars. It also emphasizes the link between better environmental performance and lower road tax and lower running costs. The labeling system mirrors important aspects of the energy efficiency labels that appear on 'white goods', such as refrigerators and washing machines. Cars are given a rating from A through to G, with A-rated cars having the lowest emissions. 

The categories used are consistent with the CO. bandings used for Vehicle Excise Duty ('road tax') to ensure that the environmental message is backed up by a clear fiscal signal: lower carbon emissions = lower road tax. The label (example shown above) also provides clear running cost information showing that lower emission vehicles are cheaper to run.

In the US, the official government website for fuel economy information sets out guidelines about all types of alternative fuels used for vehicles, whether for company or private usage. A summary of some of these guidelines are set out below:

Electric vehicles (EVs) - Electric vehicles are those propelled by an electric motor (or motors) and powered by rechargeable battery packs. Vehicles propelled by electric motors have several advantages over conventional internal combustion engine. They are more energy efficient, converting 75 percent of the chemical energy from the batteries into power to drive the wheels. Internal combustion engines only convert 20 percent of the energy story in the gasoline/petrol.

Electric powered vehicles are also more environmentally friendly, emitting no tailpipe pollutants, are quiet, smoother operating and have stronger acceleration than internal combustion engines.

However, they do still have some battery-related challenges in that they can only go about 100-200 miles (160-320 kilometers) before recharging and take up to 4-8 hours to fully recharge. The large battery packs – which are heavy and take up a lot of space – are expensive and may need to be replaced one or more times during the vehicle’s life. These challenges are continually being researched with a view to improving battery driving range, recharging time, battery weight and space, and purchase costs.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) - Hybrid electric vehicles combine the benefits of gasoline/petrol engines and electric motors and are today configured to obtain different objectives, such as improved fuel economy, increased power, or additional auxiliary power for electronic devices and power tools.

The electric motor in HEVs is used to provide additional power to assist the engine in accelerating, passing or hill climbing, so allowing a smaller, more efficient engine to be used. In some vehicles, the motor alone provides power for low-speed driving conditions where internal combustion engines are least efficient.

Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) - Flexible fuel vehicles are designed to run on gasoline/petrol, or a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol. Except for a few engine and fuel system modifications, vehicles are more or less identical to gasoline/petrol-only models. FFVs are said to experience no loss in performance when operating on the fuel blend. However, since ethanol contains less energy per volume than gasoline/petrol, FFVs typically get about 25-30 percent fewer miles per gallon (kilometers per liter) than when fuelled with an ethanol blend.

Biodiesel fuelled vehicles - SBiodiesel is a form of diesel engine fuel manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases. It is safe, biodegradable and produces less air pollutants than petroleum-based diesel.

Biodiesel can be used in a pure form, or blended with petroleum diesel. Common blends include B2 (a two percent biodiesel), B5, and B20. B2 and B5 can be used safely in most diesel engines. However, most vehicle manufacturers do not recommend using blends greater than B5, and engine damage caused by higher blends is not covered by some manufacturer warranties.

Other alternative fuels - These are fuels that are derived from resources other than petroleum. They may be produced domestically (reducing dependence on imported oil), while some are derived from renewable sources. Often, they produce less pollution than gasoline or diesel.

To promote alternative fuels in the US, the federal government offers tax incentives to consumers purchasing qualifying alternative fuel vehicles.

Alternative fuels include ethanol, biodiesel, natural gas, propane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG).

MORE EFFICIENT USE OF COMPANY CARS, VANS AND TRUCKS

Looking at various company, government, national and international guidelines and recommendations aimed at improving fuel usage efficiency, it is possible to summarize some of the key points that a label converter can look to their drivers to implement. These include:

Efficient use of gears - Always driving in the highest possible gear without laboring the engine. A vehicle traveling at a speed of 60km (37mph) in third gear will use 25 percent more fuel than when it is traveling at the same speed in fifth gear. Use overdrive gearing whenever possible, which reduces the vehicles engine speed, both saving fuel and reducing engine wear.

Avoid excessive idling - Idling gets zero miles/km per gallon or liter. Vehicles with larger engines typically waste more fuel at idle than do cars with smaller engines. Therefore, when stuck in stationary traffic for more than a few minutes, always look to switch off the engine – so helping to reduce fuel consumption and CO. emissions.

Use of cruise control - Using cruise control on motorways, highways, autobahns, etc, helps to maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will reduce fuel consumption.

Service vehicles regularly - A poorly maintained vehicle will pollute the environment significantly more than a well-maintained one. Indeed, research suggests that up to 50 percent of pollution from vehicles is caused by just 10-20 percent of them.

Drive off immediately - Leaving the engine running before setting off increases the time it takes to warm up to optimum operating temperature. This results in increased levels of harmful emissions. Instead, drive off as soon as possible (ensuring first that windows are clear of ice and condensation), but drive gently until the engine has reached its normal operating temperature.

Smooth driving techniques - Get used to thinking ahead so as to avoid excessive braking and acceleration. Developing smooth driving techniques can increase vehicle fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Avoid aggressive driving - Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes fuel and can lower fuel consumption by 33 percent at highway/motorway speeds and by five percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for the driver, passengers and other road users, so saving more than fuel money.

Observe speed limits - Each vehicle reaches its optimum fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), with fuel consumption per mile/km reducing rapidly at speeds above 60mph/95kph.

Monitor fuel and energy consumption - Regular reviewing and monitoring of fuel and energy consumption will ensure that vehicles remain fuel efficient over their company usage cycle.

Lighten loads - Do not carrying unnecessary items or loads, especially heavy ones. Additional weight on board will increase both fuel consumption and emissions. It is estimated that an extra 100 pounds of weight in a vehicle can reduce fuel consumption by up to two percent. This reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than large ones. This is where the use of thinner label materials reflects positively on the carbon footprint of transport and distribution.

If possible, remove roof racks if they are not necessary for the journey, since they both add weight and increase air resistance.

Ensure regular everyday maintenance is carried out - Regularly check oil and water levels and check tires for pressure and tread depth. It is estimated that about 50 percent of tires on the road are under-inflated, both increasing the rate of wear and reducing fuel efficiency.

OPTIMIZING JOURNEYS

Vehicle route planning - Fuel bills can be reduced by improving transport routes and loading vehicles efficiently. The use of route planning software can enable a company to reduce fuel usage of sales or delivery vehicles by optimizing journey kilometers/miles and has been shown to result in significant reduction of CO. emissions.

Challenging travel requests - Where companies have a system in which employees have to seek approval for a journey, or have the journey approved for expense claims after they return, some companies now routinely question and challenge the need for the journey so as to make the employee think more carefully about their journey and how they make it. After time, the employees will start to make better judgments themselves and become more efficient in their travel arrangements.

Car pooling - Car pooling, also frequently known as car-sharing, ride-sharing and lift-sharing, is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, minibus, van or other vehicle.

By having more people using one vehicle, carpooling reduces each person's travel costs such as fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving.

Carpooling is also seen as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces.

An interesting case study of carpooling can be seen in the following case study of Martin Automatic employees in Rockford, Illinois.

WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS

Apart from a company’s own staff, it may be possible to work with suppliers and customers to help them become more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly in their own operations by optimizing.

BUSINESS CASE STUDY

Thirteen Martin Automatic employees carpool together five days each week to drive the 35 miles (70 miles round trip) to the company’s headquarters in Rockford, Illinois. Two vehicles are used, one large work van to seat ten and a smaller sedan to move three people. Each vehicle uses an average of 24mpg:

Using 3 gallons/day for the round trip at a price of $4.09/gallon is $60/week per person. For 13 people the total equals a weekly cost savings of $780.00, minus the two people driving one of the two vehicles, so yielding a total of savings of $660.00 in gas for the car pooling each week.

It is 70 miles total saved per day per participant equalling 910 total miles, minus the miles for two vehicles, so saving a total of 770 miles/day or 3,850 miles/week. Participants pay a flat rate to participate, which covers the cost of the gas, regular maintenance on the vehicle and the purchase of a new one when needed.

According to the website www.carbonfootprint.com 770 miles of driving saved each day, using 24 mpg as a standard, is equal to .28 metric tons of CO2 emissions not released.

Use of packaging materials - Encourage suppliers to provide materials in bulk, use less packaging if practical, and to take back their packaging for reuse or recycling. If some savings can be made in fuel and emissions then such measures will be worthwhile.

Package reduction - If possible, use less packaging when shipping goods to customers. This will contribute to the goals of reducing emissions and fuel consumption while at the same time reduce package waste.

It is important that label converters talk to their suppliers and customers about deliver and receive shipping where ‘waste’ can be transferred along the same distribution path. For example, DuPont has launched a packaging and plate material recovery scheme for its customers whereby it collects its empty cardboard boxes for reuse, and is also collecting various levels and types of plate materials to be disposed of properly.

Shared recovery programs such as this will no doubt become the norm amongst the corporate supply chain as each player continues to look for alternative disposal streams and begin to maintain waste value – recycle, upcycle, downcycle, whatever can be achieved – through various outlets as adopted by a waste management policy.  

Suppliers adoption of such systems should be included within the supplier matrix system.

DRIVER EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Driver education packages - There are a number of driver education and training packages on the market today that have been developed to assist company drivers in driving vehicles in a more fuel efficient manner. They are well worth considering and many have proved to be effective in reducing fuel consumption – and in improving driver skills and safety.

FORK LIFT TRUCK USAGE

Truck purchase and replacement - With greenhouse gases and exhaust emissions a growing cause of concern, and health and safety legislation demanding the highest levels of welfare within the workplace, a forklift or other powered truck’s ‘green’ credentials are a major consideration.

Although in recent years there has been significant progress in both the design of ‘clean’ IC-engine powered trucks and the control of exhaust emissions, more and more companies are seeking environmentally friendly fuel sources for their forklift or other handling trucks.

Certainly, when looking to purchase a new or replacement fork lift or other type of in-plant truck, the aim should be to review and, where practicable, to replace diesel or petrol-driven trucks with a ‘greener’ more emission efficient type. This might be an electric truck or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) truck. More information on these possible options is given below.

Trucks powered by natural gas - Natural gas is regarded by many as the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel and over the past decade or so sales of lift and other industrial trucks powered by Compresses Natural Gas (CNG) have been enjoying steady growth. Because CNG contains significantly fewer harmful pollutants than other fuels, it exceeds all current and anticipated indoor and outdoor air quality standards.

CNG offers significantly reduced air pollution since it produces little smoke, odor or carbon dioxide emissions and, in addition, carbon monoxide emissions and other exhaust hydrocarbons are reduced. It is also virtually free from lead, sulphur particles and aromatic hydrocarbons that cause general air pollution.

In simple terms, this means that exhaust emissions from CNG-powered trucks are so low that the trucks can be operated both outside and inside a building without putting staff at risk or creating an unpleasant working environment. Additionally, performance characteristics and running costs also compare favorably with more conventional liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and battery-powered alternatives.

MAKING A CASE FOR TELEMATICS

To date, one of the key fuel economy tools for company car and transport fleets – the so-called ‘spy in the cab’ telematics systems that can optimize route planning and report on vehicles’ and drivers’ fuel performance – has not seen any real take-up by small car, van and truck fleets, where managers undoubtedly need to be far more sensitive to drivers’ privacy. Professional truck drivers are paid to drive and can within reason be told how and what to drive; but a company car or van driver may need to be won around to telematics by persuasion, even though the law treats company cars as places of work.

Only a few car and van fleets have so far addressed the issue of in-car technology, although the capacity exists to exercise very high levels of monitoring and control. Cost of installation and driver objections are generally the most common objections, together with the belief that telematics represents a degree of ‘overkill’. What most managements want is a simple, cheap system that gives the basics of journey and fuel monitoring – and when company/van drivers do consent to telematics, the cost and emissions benefits can be considerable.

Wireless car/van vehicle management systems (such as Networkfleet that connect directly to the vehicles engine computer) can provide information such as exact fuel consumption, mileage, speed and idle time for each vehicle. This kind of information is essential for achieving ‘greener’ company vehicles. Another system on the market today can identify vehicles and drivers with excessive fuel consumption and CO. emissions, analyze vehicle speeds against local speed limits, verify business and private mileage for unauthorized usage, establish the benefit-in-kind tax compliance (if applicable) and identify fleet idling costs.

A further system provides drivers with continuous feedback on their performance via small red, amber and green LCD lights, sends SMS texts at the end of each journey and detailed driving skill and safety analysis through a password protected website. Used by T-Mobile in the UK, the company recorded significant fuel savings and saved 60.2 tons of CO. emissions, while the system paid for itself in fuel savings and in reduced collision costs.

Although making a lot of sense for fleets, a recent Pay-As-You-Go system by Livetrak is claimed to be viable for just a single van or car. Offering a month-by-month rental agreement with a low set-up fee (around $160/€110), the system offers high-end real-time tracking, identifying where vehicles are, where they have been, how fast they are moving and the best route to take – with reports and alerts available, such as out-of-hours usage, journey record, speeding alert, mileage/kilometer record, maintenance record, etc.

Whether the label industry is yet ready to use telematics has not yet been established, particularly when it is a relatively small user of company cars, vans and trucks, and this remains to be seen. As the cost of the technology continues to come down, the price of fuel continues to increase, and the demands of reducing CO. emissions increases, then telematics may start to become a more attractive consideration for label converting operations.

DEVELOPING A CONVERTER POLICY ON TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL

While many of the environment and sustainability areas of the label industry are relatively well researched or documented and have been set out, the topic of fuel efficiency and the reduction of CO. emissions from company cars, vans, trucks and industrial vehicles seems to have been paid little attention to date, with most effort going into materials usage, waste management and lean manufacturing. Yet, a very high proportion of carbon emissions today come from travel and transport, both public and industrial.

In this article the aim has been to address this lack of information and guidance and to develop a converter policy on transport and travel that can be used by the environmentally conscious label converter.

Certainly, most label converters and industry suppliers will eventually be expected to have their own environment policy statements and action plans relating to travel and transport usage. To help those converters, this series has drawn up a guideline policy statement on travel and transport that they can use or adapt to their own company operations, depending on what company cars, vans, industrial machinery, etc, they use.

This is set out below.

Environmental policy on transport and travel

General

We undertake a periodic audit of company travel, expenditure on fuel, miles/kilometers traveled, types of vehicles used and their level of emissions, time spent in traveling, and in developing improved working practices involving combustion engines.

Specific measures introduced

• We have introduced a program of driver education and training to encourage more fuel efficient driving

• We have implemented a system for regularly measuring and recording transport carbon emissions

• We record driver miles/kilometers and fuel expenditure and periodically set reduced annual targets to cut emissions

• We aim to purchase the most fuel efficient vehicle in its class when changing or investing in new company vehicles

• We continually evaluate and review new developments in fuels and their input on emissions and amend our company policy accordingly

• We work with suppliers and customers to become more fuel efficient by optimizing deliveries and using less packaging wherever possible

• We have introduced more efficient route planning to reduce fuel usage of sales and delivery vehicles