New green policies for both fleet and travel have been introduced by the leading provider of elevators and escalators.

Corporate businesses are supporting a virtuous circle of sustainability in fleet and mobility, improving their own environmental performance, and demanding that their own suppliers meet stricter sustainability standards.

For many businesses, fleet and business travel are among the highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, so greener decisions can have a major impact on the corporate carbon footprint.

“As businesses worldwide become more conscious of their environmental impact, integrating sustainable practices into fleet management has become a strategic priority,” said Luca Mancuso, Global Category Manager Mobility (Car Fleet, Travel & Hospitality), Schindler (pictured above at the Global Fleet Summit).

“For this reason, in Schindler we introduced the new Responsible Sourcing Policy, designed to reinforce Schindler’s commitment to collaborate with its suppliers toward a long-term and sustainable future.”

New mobility policy

Schindler is currently in the process of reviewing its new Mobility Policy, which will be finalised before the end of Q3 next year.

The core sustainability areas and measures in the policy are: vehicle eligibility and alternative travel options; the electrification of essential vehicles; and telematics, to support sustainability targets and improve safety.

“We are exploring and evaluating different and new mobility solutions and depending on the country, for certain roles a company car will not be anymore the preferred solution,” said Mancuso. “On top of this, in the most mature countries, we are promoting flexible solutions combining public transport and a mobility allowance.”

Electric vehicles

Where vehicles are essential, Schindler is committed to battery-powered options.

“Due to the heterogeneous level of readiness in countries [where we operate], we don’t have a common global implementation plan. Each country is moving at the best possible speed considering its local environment. EVs are the only possible solution in some of the most EV-ready countries for certain roles, while other countries are using hybrid (mild and full hybrid) vehicles as bridge solutions as they wait for a further EV push,” said Mancuso.

Supplier selection

Key to achieving these objectives is the selection of suppliers with strong sustainability credentials and innovative green solutions. OEMs, for example, must provide a wide range of eco-friendly vehicles, including electric and hybrid options. And other suppliers need to offer new technologies and services that help Schindler reduce its carbon emissions.

Moreover, all suppliers will have to show a clear commitment to sustainability, with Schindler making it mandatory for them to comply with relevant environmental certifications and adhere to sustainability standards.

“Suppliers who demonstrate a clear commitment to sustainability in their business operations are more likely to be chosen,” said Mancuso.

Performance measuring

Schindler itself is measuring the progress of its fleet and mobility sustainability via a variety of metrics and performance indicators, collected at a group level on a monthly or annual basis.

These include fuel and electricity consumption (in litres and kWh), distances driven (in km), and the number of vehicles it operates in each class and type, such as car, light commercial vehicle, truck, and battery electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel.

Armed with this information, Mancuso said Schindler can monitor its CO2 emissions (by converting litres of fuel into equivalent CO2 emissions), its fuel economy and its rate of adoption of electric and hybrid powertrains.

“Sustainability considerations are a key element in modern fleet and mobility procurement decisions for Schindler,” he said.

Environmental fleet challenges and the complexity of building and managing new supply chains for fleet electrification will be at the heart of the International Fleet Managers Institute (IFMI) session at the Fleet Europe Conference.

The one-day training session on 22 November in Lisbon is reserved exclusively for fleet and procurement managers, creating a unique opportunity for executives to discuss new challenges and issues with fellow fleet decision makers, and attend presentations by industry experts.

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Images: Schindler, Fleet Europe