13 May 2021
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Star Refrigeration is working with the UK’s largest fleet management company to provide employees with sustainable vehicles for both personal and professional journeys.
Star is coordinating with Lex Autolease to make eco-friendly vehicles available for all of its 400 employees. Having become Lex Autolease’s first customer in Scotland to offer non-fleet colleagues support in helping them switch to eco-friendly vehicles, Star plans to implement a sustainable salary sacrifice scheme in order to equip its workforce with access to electric vehicles (EVs) like the Hyundai Kona and the Tesla Model 3.
Star has also developed a new car policy with Lex Autolease to transfer its company car fleet to a Whole Life Cost policy, which will incur significant savings due to the optimised fuel consumption and lower running costs.
Star made the first steps towards modernising its fleet last year, when it ordered eight Tesla Model 3 units from Lex Autolease. Seven have already arrived and are in the care of company staff, while 26 more of its 88-strong fleet are powered by alternative means.
The sustainable salary sacrifice scheme offers all 400 of the firm’s staff members the chance to upgrade their car to an eco-friendly alternative. In addition, there is also an option for employees to request a second vehicle for their partners of family, potentially raising the overall quantity of EVs involved in the scheme to over 600.
Dave Pearson, group sustainable development director at Star, said: “Reducing our customers’ cooling-related emissions has always been vital for us as a business. Now, thanks to Lex Autolease, we also have a plan in place to ensure our vehicles are on the right road to net-zero.
“The Lex Autolease team has played an integral role in laying the policy foundations that in time will see 100 per cent of our fleet become fully electric. We recognise the need to make fewer journeys but those we must make will be as clean as possible.
“The EV Salary Sacrifice scheme helps us broaden this progress to other members of our teams’ families. We’re hoping for a fossil fuel-free society as quickly as possible, and by insisting on 100% EV where viable, we’ll do what we can to increase the subsequent second-hand market. Plus, any cost savings mean that we can look to make investments in other sustainable initiatives across the business.”
To focus its wider sustainability efforts, Star Refrigeration also signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in March, which defines and promotes best practice in emissions reductions and net zero targets in line with climate science.
Star is currently outlining its emissions reduction targets and is working with Lex Autolease to ensure its fleet can play a major role in its decarbonisation, as the company aims to have every one of its employees behind the wheel of an eco-friendly vehicle by 2030.
