Member Article

Stagecoach achieves Carbon Trust standard

First public transport operator to have boundaries certified outside of Europe 6% reduction in Group carbon footprint in UK and North America in three years Rigorous, independent evaluation of company’s carbon performance Key carbon reduction targets for fleet and buildings achieved ahead of schedule Work underway to develop new five-year Group sustainability strategy

Stagecoach Group has been awarded the prestigious Carbon Trust Standard for measuring, managing and reducing its global carbon footprint, becoming the first public transport operator to have its boundaries certified outside of Europe.

The Group reduced the carbon footprint of its businesses in the UK and North America by 6% in the three years from 1 May 2010 to 30 April 2013.

Stagecoach also reduced the carbon intensity (tCO2e/£m turnover) of its global operations during the period by 8.6%1 as a result of a package of measures designed to make its business more sustainable.

The Carbon Trust Standard provides a rigorous independent assessment of the carbon performance of businesses and public sector organisations. Third-party assessors carry out a detailed evaluation to ensure companies are measuring, managing and making real year on year reductions in their carbon emissions.

Stagecoach Group’s certification covers all of its bus and rail operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company’s 13,000 buses, coaches, trains and trams are used by around three million passengers a day.

Martin Griffiths, Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I’m particularly proud of the way our frontline employees in the UK and North America have taken up the challenge to deliver greener, smarter working.

“We are committed to growing our business sustainably and we have achieved a lot in every one of our businesses. However, we are determined to do more to minimise our impact on the environment and help our customers to have a greener way of living.”

Michael Gifford, Associate Director at the Carbon Trust, said: “By achieving independent certification of real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions around the world, Stagecoach is showing leadership in taking action to manage its environmental impact. It proves to stakeholders and customers that commitment to cutting carbon has resulted in real savings.”

In 2010, Stagecoach launched Revolution in the Way We Travel, a five-year plan to reduce further the carbon emissions from its transport operations in the UK and North America. The strategy has been supported by an £11million green investment programme. Employee initiatives and eco teams set up by staff have also helped drive dramatic improvements in energy and carbon efficiency.

The Group has delivered its current five-year targets 12 months ahead of schedule, achieving an overall absolute reduction of 8% in carbon emissions from buildings and a cut of 3% in annual carbon emissions per vehicle mile from fleet transport.

To maintain the momentum of the Group’s programme, work is now underway to develop a new five-year strategy. This will include identifying further cost-effective energy-saving opportunities, continuing investment to make the business greener, and setting new targets around carbon reduction and water consumption.

Stagecoach Group has delivered a number of initiatives as part of its carbon reduction programme, including:

investing in a hi-tech eco-driving system, which is installed in around 7,000 buses and is expected to reduce fuel consumption at the Group’s bus division by 4%. The scheme also offers employees the chance to earn “green points” that are converted into financial benefits from a potential £900,000 annual bonus pot. becoming the UK bus industry’s leading investor in new hybrid electric buses, which deliver a 30% reduction in carbon emissions compared to standard vehicles. The Group now has around 240 hybrid electric buses in service across the UK, more than any other operator. increasing the number of vehicles running on biofuel, as well as testing other sustainable recycled biofuels. investing almost £450 million over the past six years in new buses and coaches for the UK with greener engines. installing a new ‘intelligent’ lighting system, which uses movement sensors to determine the amount of light required, at a number of bus depots and railway stations across the UK and in North America. improving energy management systems at offices and depots to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. investing £2.2 million at South West Trains in a major regenerative braking project to save energy on more than 200 trains. introducing an innovative energy-saving engine standby system to reduce carbon emissions from idling trains. reducing the CO2 emissions from our bus fleet in the UK by more than 188,000 tonnes over the past eight years through use of a hi-tech fuel additive. Implementing new contracts for waste and recycling at East Midlands Trains which has helped increase the recycling rate at stations to over 70%. cutting gas and energy consumption at South West Trains’ 20 largest stations by 9%, saving 110 tonnes of carbon.

Earlier this year, figures compiled as part of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme showed that Stagecoach Group is among the top 10% of large companies in the UK for its performance in reducing the carbon emissions from its business.

Last month, Stagecoach completed its fifth annual Green Week programme, which focused on energy reduction and incorporated World Environment Day.

Stagecoach has won numerous awards for its environmental initiatives and commitment to carbon reduction. The Group won Green Business of the Year at the 2013 Scottish Business Awards and was also winner of the Sustainability Award in this year’s Scotland Plc Awards.

Every year, Stagecoach reports on its carbon emissions through its corporate website, www.stagecoach.com. It also provides information on its global carbon footprint to the Carbon Disclosure Project, the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emissions database.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jennifer Tate .