Seeking to reduce the company’s climate change impact, Wienerberger UK has announced its transition to a Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) leased company car fleet.
Transport was responsible for 22% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019, 13% of which arose from car travel[i]. To tackle these GHG emissions, Wienerberger slashed the carbon emission limit for its company car fleet to 75 gCO2e/km in December 2020. Wienerberger expects one third of the leased company car fleet to become PHEVs in 2021, with a full transition achieved by 2023.
With a full fleet of PHEVs, Wienerberger will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions up to 500 tonnes per year, compared to 2019 levels. This is equivalent to heating 210 UK homes for a year[ii], or 746 passenger journeys by aeroplane from London to New York[iii].
Finance Director Paul Stevenson said: “Moving to a fleet of PHEVs visibly communicates Wienerberger’s commitment to tackling climate change, at the same time helping employees reduce the carbon impact of their personal travel too.”
In order to support employee’s transition to low carbon travel, both at work and at home, Wienerberger is offering a bursary of up to £559 to cover the installation of an EV charging point at each company car drivers’ residence. The company encourages employees to pair their PHEV with a domestic renewable energy tariff to maximise the positive impact.
Going forward, Wienerberger intends to install EV charging points across its factories and offices, making use of the renewable electricity tariff which has been in place at the company’s brick and roof tile factories and head office since 2017[iv].
To find out more about sustainability at Wienerberger, click here.
__
[i] Willis, T. (2020). Briefing document: The UK’s transition to electric vehicles. Available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-uks-transition-to-electric-vehicles/ (Accessed 27 January 2012).
[ii] In 2014 the average UK household emitted 8.1 tonnes of CO2, of which 29% (2.349 tonnes) is used for heating. Source: CCC (2016). The Fifth carbon budget: How every household can help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint. Available at: https://www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/5CB-Infographic-FINAL-.pdf (Accessed 27 January 2012).
[iii] An economy-class return flight from London to New York emits an estimated 0.67 tonnes of CO2 per passenger, according to the calculator from the UN's civil aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Source: BBC (2019). Climate change: Should you fly, drive or take the train? Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566 (Accessed 27 January 2012).