July 19, 2019

Shred-it & Stericycle Receive 2nd Masternaut Gold

Shred-it’s green credentials recognised with gold award for improved fuel efficiency

Lee Jackson, head of fleet at Shred-it and Stericycle, discusses the company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and how it has achieved Masternaut gold status for the second year

The recent announcement by the British government to commit the UK to a ‘net zero’ carbon economy by 2050 is a momentous one. While many debate the likelihood of the legislation actually making it through Parliament, it sets a precedent that many countries in Europe are likely set to follow. Whatever the outcome, what is manifest is that public concerns about humans’ impact on the environment and climate change are a concern today for us all.

At Shred-it, our vision is built around protecting what matters. We help organisations stay in control, providing Shred-it protection for people, customers and business, and today, this increasingly means the environment. We care about the impact we have on the environment – sustainability is a core element of our business and we consistently focus on being greener. As transport is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, the fleet side of the business plays a key role. That means we need fuel-efficient vehicles operating as effectively as possible.

Watching the road: positive adjustments to driver styles increases safety and reduces CO2 impact

Shred-it has been recently awarded gold status by Masternaut’s Fleet CO2 Certification for improving its fleet fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions by seven per cent in 2018 compared with the previous year. This is the second consecutive year Shred-it has been certified gold, which is awarded for an emissions reduction of more than five per cent. It’s an acknowledgement of the hard work and effort the company as a whole is continually putting into becoming more environmentally conscious.

To help achieve this, Shred-it has been using Masternaut’s telematics system since 2015. It has enabled fleet managers to measure the impact of the lorries and the driver styles, and subsequently to offer coaching to encourage a more environmentally considerate approach to driving. It is here that we have seen the biggest change.

The system has enabled the company to improve not only safety but also the efficiency of its operations and reduce CO2 emissions. The use of telematics enables us to minimise risk and protect drivers by alerting them to reduce speed when possible. The routes are ‘milk round’, so drivers make stops in a set sequence. They aren’t under pressure, so they are able to get the most efficient performance out of the vehicle.

Measuring performance saves a combined 230,000 tonnes of CO2

The telematics system has been pivotal in helping to identify opportunities for efficiencies, but it’s the drivers that have taken the action – they’re putting in the work, we’re just providing them with the tools. They have really embraced this and want to make a difference to help deliver greener credentials.

Shred-it has been able to incentivise drivers to improve via an assessment mechanism that records events, such as harsh braking or taking corners too fast. When it first started using the Masternaut telematics system, drivers were scoring up to 17 events per hour – now they typically score under five. In this way, the system has increased miles per gallon, making vehicles more efficient, and the alerts encourage drivers to reduce engine idling, which has also reduced emissions.

In addition, the company has seen a slight increase in the number of collections carried out, while managing to reduce emissions. This has been achieved by increasing the capacity of collections and making routes more efficient. Shred-it has a national presence so fleet managers can look at where we service customers from and try to reduce mileage where possible.

Working with the Masternaut system has been beneficial in many ways. Together with other Masternaut customers, we have helped to save a combined 230,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2018, which is equivalent to 87,800,000 litres of fuel. Now that we can measure ourselves against our peers and against other sectors, we can see how we’re making a practical and tangible difference.

The Masternaut certification pushes us to continue delivering year on year – we’ll look for every opportunity we can to continue achieving gold status and improving our environmental credentials to help protect what really matters – our planet.