Sustainable Speedy wins high ranking
5 September 2022
Speedy has been ranked within the top 25 per cent of companies for sustainability by the respected ratings provider EcoVadis, recognising the hirer’s work to reduce its environmental impact.
Speedy was awarded Silver status by the agency in this year’s assessment, with the business scoring highly for its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The company believes it was the first hire provider to sign up to the science-based targets initiative (SBTI), whereby emissions targets are certified to be in line with reductions required under the Paris Agreement.
Speedy opened a net-zero hire centre in Milton Keynes last November, which was certified this year with an A+ energy rating. It is also investing in its fleet to ensure that the majority of its vehicles are electric or hybrid by 2030, with more than 50 per cent of its capex now focused on eco-friendly equipment.
The EcoVadis assessment benchmarked Speedy’s ESG (environmental, social and governance) performance across the categories of environment, labour, ethics, human rights, corruption and sustainable procurement.
The business now plans to work closely with its supply chain of construction equipment manufacturers to help them to improve their own sustainability as it targets a Gold EcoVadis rating, putting it into the top 5 per cent of businesses.
Amelia Woodley, director of ESG at Speedy, said: “This is a great achievement for our business. Major contractors are increasingly scrutinising the environmental impact of their supply chains. The EcoVadis rating gives them the certainty that Speedy is a responsible business that can help them to operate more sustainably.
“With 1,500 vehicles and 200 locations UK-wide, net-zero represents a huge transformation for us. But the Silver accolade demonstrates the maturity of our ESG strategy and reflects how we’re moving in the right direction as a business,” she added.
