Fylde Executive Cars

Meeting our Environmental Commitments
Running a Carbon Neutral Chauffeur Fleet

Fylde Executive Cars has always taken its Environmental responsibilities seriously and has been keen to reduce the impact of its operations on both the local and Global Environment.

Our Environmental Policy was adopted in 2008 and highlights our commitment to reduce our energy useage each year. As with any business change it is altering habits which can be the greatest challenge.  Our starting point was focusing on the quick wins such as turning off unused office lights and office equipment, through to making available recycling receptacles for the office waste. Used printer and toner cartridges also created disposal problems.  We overcame this by identifying the various charities that took old cartridges, by post and now forward these on, a double benefit of reducing waste and helping a good cause at the same time.
The next step was to address the amount of waste our business processes were creating as a result of the mountains of paper we got through each week. This led us to take a serious look at our computer systems. As a result we committed to the development of our bespoke web based booking tool which enables our clients to manage their reservations on-line whilst at the same time managing their accounts, all in electronic form. (http://www.fyldeexecutivecars.com)

The next step was a far greater challenge.  Addressing the CO2 emissions created by our chauffeur fleet that on average cover a collective 1.6 million miles each year.  The greatest consideration was choosing an all round executive class of vehicle that could meet the demanding requirements of the industry.  Whilst hybrid vehicles offer what is believed to be the best solution they are often impractical, considerably more to buy and maintain and, offer no better fuel economy when being used on the motorway for most of their working day.
A series of road tests led us to choose the Volvo range as the best all round option.  The current D5 engine may not be the cleanest in respect of it’s CO2 kg output but, the average fuel consumption figures were higher than most, with the internal cabin and boot space greater than other models in its class. Reliability and servicing costs were another significant consideration.  Main agents, as with any brand can be expensive but, we found that Volvo had a fantastic array of well equipped, knowledgeable network garages and, that after market parts were accessible and affordable.  Having said that we have found the reliability of the Volvo to be excellent.  When then taking into account the high level of the internal trim and the impressive safety features, we could not help but conclude that Volvo was the brand for us. 
The decision has proven to be the right one with the recent launches of the new drive-e range of Volvo models, which car industry commentators are hailing as the cleanest and most efficient executive saloons on the market.  As we move to upgrade our fleet to these new models we look forward to further reducing not only our impact on the environment but also the impact on our monthly fuel bills!  With impressive fuel efficiency we are hoping to gain an additional 10 miles to the gallon, on an average executive airport transfer.

The final phase in our quest to become a truly carbon neutral executive car service was finding a solution to offsetting those emissions we could not avoid.  We were keen to find a solution that would not only help with Global climate change, but would also enhance the local environment in the North West of England.
As a result Fylde Executive Cars is delighted to be working with Carbon Footprint Ltd (www.carbonfootprint.com), the award winning carbon management consultants, to plant native British broad-leaved trees in our region.
All trees planted within Carbon Footprint’s UK programme sequester (i.e. absorb) atmospheric carbon as part of the process of photosynthesis and -in this way - carbon dioxide is converted into stored carbon. By extracting this carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the emissions created by our company are offset, enabling us to operate as a carbon neutral business. In addition, tree planting also provides a host of other environmental benefits in our region, improving landscapes, making space for wildlife and preserving biodiversity for future generation.  In a recent letter to Fylde Executive Cars Carbon Footprint Director, Dr Wendy Buckley said:
“By carrying out tree planting, Fylde Executive Cars are making responsible efforts to protect the environment against the effects of climate change. You are also safeguarding the local region’s ecological heritage”
As a Fylde based company we have been keen to build on our partnership with Dr Buckley and her team and to involve other local businesses on the Fylde Coast.  We were also keen to open a dialogue with the Parks Management team at Fylde Borough Council one of the major landowners in the Fylde Borough.  This contact helped identify a number of ambitious parks enhancement projects that required significant tree planting schemes.  By putting Dr Buckley and the Council in touch with each other we have managed to highlight some major tree planting opportunities.

Although this is our first year of operating as a Carbon Neutral company, we hope that we can continue to explore new products, services and solutions along with our partners and clients, in a bid not only to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment, but to also improve our efficiency and in time, our bottom line.

Author: John Coombes, Managing Director, Fylde Executive Cars Ltd