YouGov survey reveals an alarming gap in corporate fleet decarbonisation plans as environmental pressures mount.
As the global push for sustainability accelerates, a significant portion of UK businesses appear to be neutral when greening their fleets.
A recent YouGov survey commissioned by fleet management firm Gofor has uncovered a concerning trend: 21% of companies – one in five – have no concrete plans to reduce their fleet emissions. This revelation suggests that while some firms are racing towards a low-carbon future, others are idling at a critical junction in the road to sustainability.
The survey, which polled 1,000 senior HR decision-makers across various industries, paints a picture of a corporate landscape divided on the road to a greener future. While nearly half (49%) of respondents actively work to reduce their fleet carbon emissions, a significant portion remains in the slow lane or parked on the sidelines of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda.
Iain Bennett, MD of Gofor, said: “We’ve been taken aback by just how many companies still need to formalise a fleet electrification plan. These insights will help organisations focus on the environmental opportunity presented by their company fleets.”
The urgency for action is accelerating, driven by regulatory pressures and market demands. The UK’s ZEV mandate pushes manufacturers to ensure that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans are zero-emission by 2030. The latest Labour government has also pledged to reinstate the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales, a policy recently overturned by the previous administration.
Despite these looming deadlines, 11% of surveyed businesses with vehicle fleets don’t expect to address fleet decarbonisation for over a year. This procrastination could leave them scrambling to catch up as the market shifts rapidly towards electrification.
The survey also shed light on adopting electric vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice schemes, a popular tool for encouraging employee uptake of cleaner vehicles. Surprisingly, only one in five businesses currently offer such a scheme, with an equal number planning to implement one. This leaves a significant majority either unaware of or hesitant to embrace this beneficial program, despite the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) reporting a 47% year-on-year growth in salary sacrifice uptake.
To address these gaps and guide businesses towards a more sustainable future, Gofor has released a white paper titled ‘ESG Matters: How fleet electrification can kick-start your ESG strategy’. The document emphasises that vehicle fleets often represent one of the largest contributors to a company’s carbon footprint, making them a critical focus area for decarbonisation efforts.
Bennett added: “Our white paper aims to support small- and medium-sized businesses in implementing an ESG plan, focusing on fleet electrification as a key driver of environmental improvement.”
Now, as the corporate world grapples with the challenges of climate change and increasing stakeholder pressure for sustainable practices, the reluctance of some fleets to embrace decarbonisation stands out as a significant hurdle. The divide between proactive companies and those dragging their feet highlights the need for greater education, incentives, and possibly stronger regulations to accelerate the transition to low-emission fleets.
With the clock ticking on climate targets and the automotive industry’s rapid pivot to electric vehicles, businesses that fail to plan for fleet decarbonisation may not just fall behind their competitors but potentially face operational challenges as the availability of traditional fuel vehicles dwindles.
The road to a greener fleet future is clear, but not all businesses have their foot on the accelerator. As the YouGov survey reveals, significant work must be done to ensure that all fleets are steering towards a sustainable horizon. The question remains: will the laggards shift gears in time, or will they be left in the dust of the green revolution?
