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News & Media > Sustainability

26:04:2010

May Gurney's drive to cut carbon emissions

May Gurney has put 104 employees across the country through an eco-driving course as part of its bid to cut carbon emissions by half by the end of 2012.

The company is aiming to cut carbon emissions from its fleet of vehicles by 15%, in the process saving more than £1m a year on fuel.

The first group of employees underwent training in Norfolk, Yorkshire, East Sussex, Lincolnshire and Cornwall, with before and after results showing a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency.

Tom Macagno, May Gurney’s head of sustainability, said the early results of the trials had been “very encouraging”.

“There is a double benefit here, both environmental and financial,” he added. “More than 90% of our carbon footprint comes from vehicle emissions, so if we can reduce them by 10-20% that’s a significant step towards our goal of eventually being carbon neutral.

“We are now looking to see if the efficiency improvements shown immediately after the training are sustained over a prolonged period, with a view to training all of our drivers.”

Dr Macagno said the eco driving methods were also safer, reducing the risk of accidents, injuries, downtime and insurance claims.

A range of initiatives - from video conferencing to cycle to work schemes – has resulted in an encouraging 13.3% in CO2 emissions at May Gurney since April 2009.

Click here to read more about May Gurney's approach to corporate sustainability.