United Utilities makes progress on green fleet commitments

United Utilities is continuing to roll out a series of green fleet initiatives, supporting its climate change pledges. 

The north west-based water and wastewater services firm runs a mixed fleet of 2,400 assets and has committed to having all of its vehicles run on electricity or alternative fuels by 2028.

By changing to electricity and alternative fuels, the company expects to reduce its 16,634 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020/21 to nearly zero from 2029.

Its work runs across its fleet line-up, including cars, where it’s looking to deploy a salary sacrifice scheme next year, encouraging employees to swap to electric vehicles.

The company has also now deployed 27 electric vehicles at operational sites and has also ordered eight Nissan e-NV200 and four Vauxhall Vivaro-e electric vans, supported by charge points being installed across the firm’s various sites, as well as at employees’ homes.

The water firm is also working to switch its HGV fleet to trucks running on compressed natural gas, based on a successful trial, while it’s also completed a trial of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) in two of its trucks, providing up to a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions.

United Utilities is also investigating replacing diesel with HVO in other plant equipment.

Carl Doyle, green fleet business lead at United Utilities, said: “As part of our carbon pledges we have committed to running our entire fleet on electricity or alternative fuels by 2028.

“Whilst it’s an ambitious target with the size of our fleet, by continuing to trial new fuels and technologies and working with partners we’re confident that we will be able to deliver.”

Further work involves supporting suppliers to reduce their fleet emissions too, and United Utilities has also set out plans to plant more than one million trees and for the north west’s water services to use 100% renewable electricity before the end of the decade.