Europcar Australia & New Zealand

Foundation Member | Tracking Since February 2021

Europcar Australia & New Zealand Sustainability Actions

Europcar's purpose is to offer attractive alternatives to vehicle ownership, in a more sustainable manner.

Europcar's purpose is to offer attractive alternatives to vehicle ownership, in a responsible and more sustainable manner. We aim to purchase vehicles with low carbon emissions and our young fleet ensures our vehicles have the latest safety features and technology - CO2 ratings for all of Europcar's passenger vehicles are displayed on our website. By comparing CO2 ratings across vehicle classes, customers are able to make an informed decision - Increased presence of electric and hybrid vehicles on our fleet and promote electric car rental to our customers

Community Relations

Providing renters with the option to reduce their carbon emissions through our partnership with Greenfleet in both Australia and New Zealand. Keeping customers informed on how they can drive in a safe and efficient manner, reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Encouraging customers, suppliers and employees to participate in Greenfleet programs, such as tree planting days and other internal initiatives focusing on Sustainability. Europcar Australia and its customers have donated over $615,000 to off-setting carbon emissions from vehicle rental. These funds contribute to Geenfleet’s Forest restoration projects, including the Great Ocean Road Restoration Project, which involved the planting of native trees on 27 hectares around the Great Ocean Road region. The project will result in more than 20,350 tonnes of carbon being captured from the atmosphere as the forests grow. Our employees have personally planted over 2000 trees as part of our long term partnership with Greenfleet.

Energy Efficiency

Working with employees to identify and implement energy saving practices - Lights/equipment turned off when not in use and ensuring air conditioning systems are set to optimal temperatures - Conducting yearly auditing on the number of IT servers required - Using the procurement process (where possible) to purchase more efficient supplies - Working towards more robust reporting of energy use across the business -Introduced Sign On Glass technology leafing to paperless rental agreements.

Increasing Customer Awareness

Starting with the reservation, Europcar lets its customers choose their vehicle on the basis of environmental criteria by providing the CO2 emissions of the models for rental when they select the vehicle on our website. This information is completed by an indicator scored from A to G (similar to an energy rating where “A” has the lowest impact), and a colour coding for clear and quick identification of the vehicles with the lowest emissions. Moreover, at the end of the rental, customers can check the theoretical carbon footprint of their journey on the bill, which is calculated by multiplying the number of kilometers travelled by the average emissions of the vehicle driven. Driven by a desire to reduce CO2 emissions from the use of our cars in circulation, we want to increase customer awareness, throughout the customer’s journey, in order to adopt simple acts that make the difference on their energy bill and for the planet.

Supply Chain Management

- Aim to use contractors and suppliers that have certified environmental credentials or environmental policies of their own - Working with current stationery and marketing suppliers to introduce environmentally friendly products (where financially and practically possible) that has less of an impact on the environment

Wastewater management

- Using recycled water at some major airport wash bays - Complying with all relevant wastewater legislation

Help restore koala habitat along the Great Ocean Road

Greenfleet and Europcar have joined forces to re-build vital habitat for native wildlife along the Great Ocean Road. Europcar's and their customers' contributions are helping to plant native trees along the Great Ocean Road, such as Manna Gums, to restore habitat and food supply for koalas. These trees also provide habitat for many other animals, including the Powerful Owls, echidnas and wallabies. Additionally to providing vital habitat, donating to the Great Ocean Road Restoration Project is helping to sequester carbon from the atmosphere in projects, protect biodiversity, improve water quality and transform the landscape back to its natural state.

Employee Awareness & Community Involvement

In partnership with Greenfleet, we look for opportunities to engage our employees around our commitment to Sustainability. Our workforce actively participates in community tree planting volunteer programs that contribute to a more sustainable future.

Minimising Waste

- Paperless checkout using digital tablet sign on glass technology, with Terms and Conditions now emailed to our customers. - We aim to reduce office consumables (double-sided printing, reusing and recycling paper, purchasing refillable products where possible and using technology to keep electronic records instead of paper). - Ensuring vehicle parts that may contain hazardous materials are handled and disposed of in line with legal requirements. - Adding a simple note at the bottom of any disposable marketing piece (where possible) saying, ‘please dispose of thoughtfully’.

Chemicals and Hazardous Substances

- Ensuring that hazardous substances controlled by legislation comply with the specific controls that might apply - Ensuring all substance spills, oils, and wastes (including hazardous wastes) are cleaned up in accordance with Australian and New Zealand standards and comply with all relevant environmental legislation

Workplace Culture

Ensuring that we promote the already good work that we are doing in the area of Sustainability. We carry out programs to increase employee awareness and to train them on environmental issues. We raise their awareness on the responsibility of each person to perform simple gestures and best practices through e - learning courses.

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