EQUIPMENT hire and services provider Speedy has announced it has been ranked in the top 25% of companies for sustainability.
The firm was awarded silver by ratings provider EcoVadis in this year’s assessment, after scoring highly for its efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Speedy added that it was the first hire provider to sign up to the science-based targets initiative (SBTI), where emissions targets are certified to be in line with reductions required under the Paris Agreement.
The company has launched a net zero hire centre in Milton Keynes, certified with an A+ energy rating. Speedy is also investing in its fleet to ensure the majority of its vehicles are electric or hybrid by 2030, with more than 50% of its capex now focused on hire products that help customers to reduce their own emissions.
The EcoVadis assessment benchmarks Speedy’s ESG performance across the environment, labour, ethics, human rights, corruption, and sustainable procurement.
Speedy revealed it now plans to work with its supply chain of construction equipment manufacturers to help them to improve their sustainability as it targets a gold EcoVadis rating, which would put the firm in the top 5% of all 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. We now need to mobilise our supply chain to join us on our journey to enhance our position as the leading provider in sustainable hire. Working as one sustainable supply chain, we can play a significant part in the overall decarbonisation of the built environment.”
