A new study from business mobility provider Alphabet (GB) has found businesses in the UK are not equipped to calculate, capture, and report their fleet emissions.
Alphabet looked at 202 professionals working as fleet managers, or who had control of fleet responsibilities within their business.
Almost two-fifths (38%) of fleet managers said they still used simple spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel, or paper, to record the emissions of their fleet.
A further 8% admitted that they did not calculate emissions at all.
Less than a fifth (18%) believed their business has the tools needed to help calculate and report its fleet emissions, while 12% had no plans to invest in new technology or software to help.
The first results from the research coincided with World Environment Day (5th June) and sparked a call for the Government to provide more clarity on what businesses need to do.
Ian Turner, chief sales officer at Alphabet (GB), said: “Our study reveals that a large number of UK business are either ill-prepared or ill-equipped when it comes to calculating, recording and reporting their vehicle emissions.
“A significant number have acknowledged their uncertainty about what actions they need to take, and when, and what carbon manager tools are available to ensure they remain compliant with new legislation.”
Alphabet’s research also found disparities in fleet managers’ knowledge and use of the latest emissions reporting tools across UK industry sectors.
For example, more than 40% of logistics companies – which often have substantial vehicle fleets – still use spreadsheets such as Excel to record emissions.
Furthermore, some delivery services and retailers are still using a paper process.
Turner added: “The UK’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) framework already mandates large companies to report on their annual energy use, carbon emissions and energy efficiency actions within their directors’ report.
“However, fleet managers of smaller organisations cannot rest on their laurels, as the reporting requirement will almost certainly be extended to include most SMEs [small to medium enterprises] in the future.
“Our study is ‘a wake-up call’ for the whole fleet sector, so businesses should start planning now to identify what tools and processes they need.”
