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Rabobank ABC policy: Rabobank wins Green Fleet innovation award
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Rabobank has set about its green initiative from a number of angles. Firstly,
it has set stringent energy label criteria for all new lease cars. Secondly, drivers receive vouchers to take the ‘New Driving Style’ course in fuel-efficient driving. And thirdly, the company has introduced train travel cards, so that some journeys previously undertaken by car are now taken by train instead. And it won the ‘Green Fleet Innovation’ award for its efforts.
Rabobank has over 1,500 lease cars within its central fleet, with a further 3,500 at the
188 local cooperative banks in the Netherlands. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, it has adopted a policy whereby only cars with A, B and C energy labels have been allowed since March 2005. The target is to have 100% of cars in the central fleet meeting these requirements by the end of 2008. And despite the fact that the company’s structure means it cannot oblige compliance from local branches, by the end of 2006 45% of branches had supported the policy. The target is to have 65% compliance here by the end of 2008. In addition to this, all diesel cars must have particulate filters, and the company has decided to include fuel in the leasing allowance. This means that employees are encouraged to choose cars with better fuel efficiency, the employer pays a lower monthly lease, and the employee pays less tax. And, of course, the environment is the big winner.
Train travel
One of the most innovative aspects of the Rabobank initiative is that it also provides Dutch
Rail Business travel cars to company car drivers, with the addition of parking spaces and taxi services where necessary. On one route – between offices in Eindhoven and Utrecht – car travel is not reimbursed, only train travel. Through this method, car travel is discouraged, fuel use is reduced, and inner cities can be accessed more easily.
CO2 reductions
Rabobank is carefully measuring its results, and between 2005 and 2006, average CO2 emissions decreased by 4.3% per car. This then translates as a total weighted figure of 1,150 less tonnes of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere, and a cost saving of ? 118.00 per car in fuel. This was also illustrated by the decrease in average number of kilometres per car, from 28,731 to 28,163.
Lease company
The Rabobank car policy is an initiative of the Human Resources Directorate and the Corporate Social Responsibility Directorate. The company involves its leasing company, De Lage Landen, directly in its policy for greener cars, however. The commercial account manager at the leasing company is responsible for both the central fleet of Rabobank Nederland and the fleets of the local branches. A driver’s desk has also been established, to answer any questions that lease drivers may have. This driver’s desk is also an important element of the sustainable fleet policy, as it is often asked to explain exactly what the policy does and does not allow. De Lage Translease is also helping Rabobank in exploring new approaches which could help reduce emissions even further. They are currently looking at ways in which alternative fuels could become part of the Rabobank fleet operation. The company states its enthusiasm for natural gas cars, and has a current E85 initiative.
Implementation
Implementation is described by the company as a ‘big bang’ on March 17th 2005. However, stringent measures were taken, particularly in terms of communication,
to ensure that everyone was kept fully aware. The first action was the Executive Chairman’s New Year 2006 speech. There were then articles in the company employee magazine Rbij, with room for employee critical feedback. Interim reports were made available on the intranet, including the annual sustainability report and the position of de Lage Landen. A Declaration of Intent with Friends of the Earth was signed and published, and a nationwide press release meant that an article of the Rabobank green policy was published in virtually all national media.
Measurement
To ensure the success of the policy, Rabobank made sure it had several Key Performance Indicators in place. These include the percentage of A, B and C cars in both the central fleet and the local fleets, and the total number of branches supporting the measure. The reduction in CO2 emissions is obviously a key element, as are the number of cars, the distances driven per car, and the total amount of fuel purchased.
How to overcome resistance
“ On one route – between Rabobank offices in Eindhoven and Utrecht – car travel is not reimbursed, only train travel.”
“There was some resistance, primarily due to the fact that energy labels are determined for each category of car. An A-class car in the larger (and more expensive) segment pollutes more than an A-class car in the smaller (and less expensive) segment. There was also resistance to the limitation in choice of cars. But in the end, there turned out to be sufficient choice of cars that fulfil the ABC standard in each category. Much of the resistance was alleviated through the method of implementation and effective information and communications.”
Sybren De Hoo (Rabobank) and Lars-Erik Aaroy (Toyota Motor Europe)
Sybren de Hoo presented his green program during the Fleet Europe Forum
| 31/10/2007 |
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