Winner: Environment Agency
Environment agency impressed the judges with the breadth of their approach to running a sustainable fleet, plus the impressive cuts they achieved in business miles driven and tonnes of CO2 emitted. Their fleet management programme includes a strict travel hierarchy a cap on vehicles' CO2 emissions, a reduction in total vehicle numbers and implementation of eco-driving training. Environment Agency has made significant acquisitions of pure-electric and plug-in hybrid cars and vans, and has trialled a 50 per cent blend of sustainable biodiesel. By reducing fleet CO2 emissions by 30% since setting their carbon target, they have already exceeded their March 2015 objective.

Runner up: West Yorkshire Police

Winner: Red Bull Company Ltd
Red Bull Company Ltd have an exemplary approach to running an efficient fleet comprising fuel cards, mileage capture software, driver training, and collecting data on the often-overlooked grey fleet. Red Bull’s vehicle procurement strategy maintains their commitment to having a low carbon fleet; the average CO2 emissions of vehicles acquired in 2013 was just 102g/km. But the judges felt that what really gave their programme ‘wings’ was an outstanding commitment to staff engagement. Drivers are involved from the outset when choosing their vehicles, rather than simply being handed the keys. For example, the benefits of the low emission Gold company cars, in terms of Benefit in Kind payments, was explained as being the “equivalent to buying a large Costa Latte three times a week”.

Runner up: Willmott Dixon

Winner: Urban Planters London West
Urban Planters London West has a fleet firmly rooted in the electric vehicle sector. After their Energy Saving trust PIFI they acquired two EVs which, at 25% of their total fleet, represents a substantial commitment for a small organisation. It’s not just a marketing exercise either; their Kangoo ZEs are an integral part of the business, used on a daily basis. Urban Planters’ methodical approach to integrating EVs is scalable and could be replicated by larger organisations. The judges also applaud Richard Poole for his efforts to disseminate their success, through presentations, blogs and articles for his company’s newsletter.

Runner up: Oxford City Council

Winner: City of York Council
City of York Council won an extremely close category with a systemic approach to their grey fleet that strongly encourages behavioural change. Grey fleet mileage has been cut by 34% over three years and transport CO2 emissions reduced by 47% over the same period. Their programme includes a registration process to record details on drivers and vehicles – an essential starting point for any grey fleet improvement programme. The Council identified the top 50 teams that travel the most and worked with them to reduce grey fleet mileage without disrupting service delivery. Alternatives in place include a corporate pool car scheme, which now comprises 21 vehicles, encouraging the use of daily rental, and provision of corporate pool bikes.

Runner up: Avon & Somerset Probation Trust

Winner: London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon reduced annual employee business mileage by an outstanding 42%, saving over £500,000 in the process. This was achieved by implementing an innovative pool car scheme through Zipcar, investing in new facilities for cyclists, encouraging lift sharing, and allowing flexible and home working. The judges admired the Council’s strong commitment to cutting business mileage, while helping employees to commute more sustainably and bringing benefits to the local area as well. The Council’s work to encourage other local authorities to follow their lead was also a strong factor behind their success in this category.

Runner up: City of York Council

Winner: Job Worth Doing Ltd
Job Worth Doing Ltd ensures that drivers understand the importance of their efficient driver training programme under the slogan ‘save fuel – save a job!’. Commitment to efficient driving is evidently embedded in the culture of the organisation, from drivers to board level. Driver training is supported by a remarkable range of communication channels, including league tables and tips to reduce fuel consumption. Behaviour is further targeted via the MPG Marathon competition, which aims to improve the fuel economy of the LCV fleet. In just under a year, they have increased average vehicle MPG by almost 5%.

Runner up: Z-Tech Control Systems Ltd

Winner: Ford Motor Company Ltd
Ford Motor Company Ltd is the 2013 industry supplier of the year, recognised for their use of new technology across their range of vehicles, both with petrol and diesel engines. The award-winning EcoBoost engine, now available in Fiesta B-MAX, Focus and C-MAX, not only saves money in fuel, but also delivers VED and company car tax savings for employers and employees respectively. Ford’s ECOnetic Technology includes ultra-low rolling resistance tyres, revised gearing, Auto-Start-Stop, Smart Regenerative Charging, Active Grille Shutter and Ford EcoMode. As a result, the Fiesta ECOnetic is one of the most efficient five-seat family cars in Europe, with a combined cycle fuel economy of 85.6 MPG and CO2 emissions of just 87g/km.

Runner up: Alphabet

Winner: Gnewt Cargo
Gnewt Cargo is a last mile delivery service, using a zero-tailpipe-emission fleet consisting of electric vans, electric scooters, and electric-pedal assist ‘cargocycles’. As well as reducing carbon emissions, this business model helps to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing modern urban areas, including high levels of pollution and particulate emissions, congestion and inefficient delivery operations. In addition to operating sustainable vehicles, Gnewt Cargo use route scheduling to make deliveries more efficiently. Independent assessment by the University of Westminster showed that they cut CO2 emitted per parcel by 62% on like-for-like deliveries.

Runner up: Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services

Winner: BMW UK
BMW UK – specifically the new i3 – was the clear winner in this category. The i3’s impressive range is partly due to its lightweight construction, featuring a framework consisting of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic passenger compartment, aluminium chassis with honeycomb composition and thermoplastic body panels. BMW’s manufacturing process is also innovative; all the energy used in carbon fibre production at their Moses Lake facility is obtained from locally generated hydroelectric power and is therefore completely CO2 free, while general assembly in Leipzig is 100% powered by wind turbine energy.

Runner up: Ford Motor Company Ltd

Winner: GreenRoad
GreenRoad were the well-deserved winners of this category for the Smartphone Edition of their driver performance solution. GreenRoad’s technology has been proven to reduce its clients’ driver risk and fuel consumption. Moving this onto a smartphone eliminates the need for a professionally installed telematics device in the vehicle and will save money when the driver changes vehicle, as there is no cost for reinstalling a system. Innovations also include advanced algorithms to measure data while accounting for the phone’s variable orientation in space and automatic detection of trip start and finish to improve the user experience. GreenRoad's technology also includes a feature to automatically disable physical use of the smartphone while the vehicle is moving.

Runner up: Yorkshire Ambulance Service

Winner: Commercial Group
Commercial Group was once again the standout organisation in this category. Building on their strong track record for alternative fuel trials, in 2013 they pioneered the use of hydrogen vans in a commercial operation. Commercial co-developed a new biodiesel/hydrogen hybrid van, the first of its kind in the world and has since been trialling the vehicles for ‘real world’ use. Commercial are going beyond simply getting the vehicles onto the road. As part of the implementation process, they are extending their responsible driver programme to include hydrogen fuel, in conjunction with training, provided by BOC, covering the vehicles and refuelling equipment.

Runner up: London Borough of Croydon

Winner: BT Fleet
BT Fleet’s pioneering use of ECU remapping to optimise commercial vehicle performance in order to reduce costs could potentially have a significant influence on this sector. The results are impressive: transport-related CO2 emissions reduced by 25,000 tonnes and fuel consumption reduced by 15%. BT Fleet is deploying this technology for two of its largest clients: Thames Water and National Grid. When adopted across the wider industry, BT Fleet believes engine remapping has the potential to reduce vehicle emissions across the industry by 20% and save over £200 million per year in fuel.

Runner up: University of Birmingham

Winner: O’Donovan (Waste Disposal) Ltd
O’Donovan (Waste Disposal) Ltd was rewarded for putting green initiatives, environmental performance and community engagement at the centre of their operation. Key to this is staff training and development, including strong communication of messages to drivers via newsletters and other channels. Since joining the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) in 2010, they have reduced carbon intensity per kilometre travelled by 8.5%. Showing true commitment at all levels of the organisation, the Managing Director, Jacqueline O’Donovan, is now a qualified trainer delivering courses such as ‘Greener City Driving’ to over 60 drivers. Additionally, they have reduced idling by 50% through a range of anti-idling campaigns, cutting fuel consumption and emissions.

Runner up: BT Fleet

Winner: Tennant UK Ltd
Tennant UK Ltd cleaned up in the Motorvate member of the year category, achieving a remarkable transition from Certified to Certified Gold Status in just two years. This success is largely due to the company’s UK Fuel Management Programme, which aims to control the organisation’s fuel use. Their company car fleet has a cap on CO2 emissions, which is reduced annually, and on the commercial vehicle side, drivers are encouraged to audit their vehicle’s content to prevent carrying unnecessary loads. MPG league tables are used to encourage fuel efficient driving among both car and van drivers. Finally, Tennant has acted on the Energy Saving Trust’s recommendation to incorporate whole life costs into the company car policy, further driving down the fleet’s average vehicle emissions. Tennant has reduced CO2 emissions by more than 17% in two years and are therefore the well-deserved winner of this award.