Go-Ahead First Transport Company To Achieve Triple Carbon Trust Standard
Go-Ahead has become the first passenger transport group to be awarded triple certification by the Carbon Trust Standard for achievements in carbon, water and waste reduction.
This triple certification is the direct result of the success of the Group’s ‘Driving Energy Further’ campaign, started in 2008 in partnership with the Carbon Trust. The Group’s target is to reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2015 from a 2007/08 baseline – and continuous progress has been made against this target, with a 12% reduction achieved to date.
A great deal of emphasis has been placed on carbon, water and waste reduction as Go-Ahead has earned a well-deserved reputation as a leading business in its sector for environmental responsibility and sustainability. It’s an area the company invests in and takes seriously - firstly because it’s the right thing to do but we also believe that our approach can give us a competitive advantage as well as saving costs and reducing our impact on the environment.
In 2008, Go-Ahead became the first UK public transport company to be officially certified to the Carbon Trust Standard for Carbon after taking action on climate change, as well as being the first in the sector to be recertified in 2011.
Go-Ahead has been able to demonstrate good progress in reducing carbon emissions across depots, offices and workplace sites thanks to reducing energy consumption by investing in intelligent lighting systems, smart gas and electricity meters and by encouraging its 26,000 staff to take simple steps to control energy use by switching off unnecessary lights, electrical equipment and heating.
Another strong contributing factor in reducing carbon emissions has been the investment in new ‘greener’ buses. Over the years, Go-Ahead has continually invested in maintaining a young, green fleet. The average age of Go-Ahead’s buses is one of the lowest in the sector at 7.5 years and the Group now operates over 200 alternative fuel vehicles.
David Brown, Go-Ahead’s Chief Executive, said:
“We are proud that our achievements in reducing CO2 emissions, water consumption and waste recycling have been recognised by the award of the Carbon Trust Standard. We are committed to continuing our focus in this area and have set ourselves targets for further reductions.
“Just 5% of domestic transport CO2 in the UK comes from buses, compared to nearly 67% from passenger cars and taxis - it’s clear that public transport is the responsible choice. More people travelling by public transport means less congestion on the roads, lower CO2 emissions and better air quality.”
Tom Delay, Chief Executive of the Carbon Trust, added:
“Go-Ahead has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best performing businesses in the passenger transport sector when it comes to operational sustainability. By achieving independent certification from the Carbon Trust Standard for reductions in carbon, water and waste then Go-Ahead is able to demonstrate good progress in meeting its environmental goals.”
Find out more about Go-Ahead initiatives towards reducing carbon, water and waste reduction on http://go-ahead.com/sustainability.aspx Watch Go-Ahead’s video which includes information on the Carbon Trust triple standard on http://go-ahead.com/media/video_gallery
