Environmentally-focused Anachem Ltd, a leading distributor to the European scientific community, is offsetting the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions its fleet of 78 cars produces with the planting of almost 4,000 trees.

Luton-based Anachem, which provides an extensive array of laboratory instrumentation and consumables to scientists across all disciplines within academic, pharmaceutical, industrial, environmental and clinical areas, is one of the first companies to sign up to ALD Automotive’s unique CARbon Offset initiative to take action on climate change.

Launched in association with the Woodland Trust the aim is to plant trees and create new native woodlands for wildlife and people across the UK at the same time helping to offset CO₂ emissions from vehicles.

The decision of Anachem to sign-up to the scheme coincides with the company launching a new ‘greener’ company car policy. The diesel-only fleet policy now limits vehicle choice to cars with a maximum CO₂ emission figure of 180 g/km.

Additionally, replacement cycles have been extended from three years/75,000 miles to four years/100,000 miles. Vehicle choice extends to saloon, five-door hatchback and estate cars with Audi, Ford, Nissan, Vauxhall and Volkswagen cars among the most popular.

Anachem has been a long-time ALD Automotive customer and, said managing director Peter Tudor, “had signed up to the CARbon Offset programme because the company is trying to adopt greener policies throughout its activities, in support of its recently achieved ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification.”

He added: “Travelling to our customer sites is essential to ensure we can provide them with the contact, technical support and service they need. The ALD Automotive scheme means we can now fulfil this with a greater environmental conscience.”

Under the ALD Automotive scheme, companies have the option of ‘offsetting’ the pollution caused by their company vehicles for:

• The whole of the contract
• For the business mileage element (assumed at 50%)
• For the equivalent of one year’s business mileage

A sum is then calculated of the CO₂ which will be emitted based on each fleet vehicle’s CO₂ g/km rating and the mileage driven.

Anachem has calculated that based on the 3,194,582 business miles expected to be clocked up across the fleet over the next four years a total of 796 tonnes of CO₂ will be emitted into the atmosphere. Across the fleet, Anachem’s offset contribution based is therefore calculated to be £308 a month or £14,784 over the next four years. That money will be used to plant 3,984 trees that will absorb equivalent carbon emissions.

On receiving the tree-funding cheque Janice Hix, corporate fundraising manager of the Woodland Trust, said: “It’s great to see that Anachem is looking at how it can reduce its environmental impact. While the answer to climate change is to cut our carbon emissions, we recognise that most of us can’t get to zero so planting trees is a helpful way to offset those residual emissions. Trees absorb carbon but they have many other benefits for both wildlife and people alike, and with only 12% woodland cover in the UK it’s vital we continue to plant more trees.”

ALD Automotive has supplied company cars on a contract hire with maintenance package to Anachem for eight years. Other services supplied by ALD Automotive to the company include daily rental and accident management.

David Yates, marketing director of ALD Automotive, said: “We hope other companies follow the lead of Anachem and display their corporate social responsibility by taking advantage of our CARbon Offset initiative for making good their transport-related carbon footprint.

“Reducing vehicle emissions is a key part of the Government’s overall environmental agenda. As a result all businesses must conduct a root and branch review of the environmental impact of their vehicle operations in the same manner as Anachem has done.

“Anachem is at the forefront of adapting its fleet policy to meet the environmental challenges of the 21^st century. It is vital that other companies take a similar stance and with their drivers are aware of the damaging effect vehicles have on our environment, but are also focussed enough to counter that impact by supporting initiatives such as our CARbon Offset programme.”

ALD Automotive’s partnership with the Woodland Trust will enable the organisation to plant thousands of trees as part of Tree For All, the UK’s largest ever children’s tree planting campaign.

Anachem is the leading distributor of scientific equipment to the laboratory community in the U.K. and Ireland with over thirty five years of technical expertise and innovation. Today, Anachem exclusively represents suppliers such as Gilson, Rainin, SSI ,Treff and Vitlab, offering world renowned manual liquid handling products, plastics and consumables backed by unprecedented quality of service and support. Contact Anachem at Anachem House, Charles Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 0EB, UK. Tel: 01582 747500, Fax: 01582 745105, email: response@anachem.co.uk web: www.anachem.co.uk.