Sustainability

Major achievements for FY23 have included replacing 1 million litres of diesel with HVO D+ sustainable fuels in its HGVs and tankers and introducing the largest EV fleet in hire to reduce carbon emissions by c.20%. Speedy Hire delivered £9.2 million in social value by employing apprentices and graduates and delivering skills and training courses, also raising over £75,000 for over 80 charities.

Other highlights can be seen in the infographic below:

Speedy Hire has been named as a Financial Times Climate Leader for 2023. With an EcoVadis silver rating and Carbon Leader status, Speedy Hire is positioned in the top 2% of businesses in the UK for decarbonisation readiness.

 

Science-Based Targets

Speedy Hire has achieved the highest Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard validation for its target ambition. Speedy Hire’s validated near- and long-term ambition goes above and beyond that of any other UK hire business. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard is the world’s only framework for net-zero target setting in line with climate science. Speedy Hire’s target is to reduce Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 50% and Scope 3 emissions by 42% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.

 

New Sustainable Service Centre

Earlier this year, Speedy Hire opened its third sustainable service centre in Stoke on Trent. The brand-new 2023 expansion follows the successful launch of its A+ Energy-rated ‘Milton Keynes Innovation Centre’ in 2021. Stoke on Trent Centre includes automated features for greater efficiency including, heating, lighting and automated shutters to minimise energy wastage. The depot also includes three double-port electric vehicle charging points on site.

Danny Johnson, Managing Director for UK & Ireland at Speedy said:

“I am delighted to announce the opening of our brand-new service centre in Stoke on Trent as we continue to focus our efforts on de-carbonising our whole service centre network.

“Following the success of wellbeing spaces in some of our other new service centres we are excited to continue to implement these spaces for more of our colleagues to benefit from. As the first company in our sector to sign up to the globally recognised Science Based Targets (SBTi’s) in the drive towards net zero, our low carbon property plan will play a key role in delivering on the targets we’ve set ourselves in becoming a net zero business by 2040, ten years ahead of the Government’s target of 2050”.

 

People

Speedy Hire is committed to diversity in its workforce and has set a target to achieve at least 30% female employees by 2030. This initiative aligns with its goal of becoming a Top 100 Employer.

To achieve this goal, Speedy Hire is championing its inclusive workplace culture and inclusive environment with a commitment to become a top 100 employer.

 

State of the Industry

Amelia Woodley, ESG Director at Speedy Hire:

“In the last four years, there has been a significant expansion of roles that focus on areas like: climate change, corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the day-to-day responsibilities. One area that is continually seeing an increase in demand is in ‘green jobs’ which has risen 667% in the last four years according to edie.net.

“As a sector and as an economy, we cannot simply rely on new recruits to drive forward the sustainable agenda, we need to futureproof the roles of our current employees by upskilling and training them in order to create meaningful change and progress. In partnership with IEMA, Speedy Hire now has a dedicated employee in every department who will be accredited with a sustainable qualification to take action and futureproof the business to reach our ambitious net zero targets by 2040.”