Plant hirer offers carbon offsetting

Ardent Hire has teamed up with an Oxford-based sustainability consultant called ClimateCare that gets involved in programmes around the world designed to help tackle climate change. These range from tree planting in Tasmania to getting a Brazilian ceramics company to switch its kilns to burning sawdust and coconut husk. From these projects it calculates the volume of carbon dioxide emissions that it has helped to save. Companies that give money to ClimateCare can thus claim that they have ‘offset’ their own carbon.

Ardent is offering its customers an opportunity to offset their carbon emissions by giving money to Climate Care every time they hire an item of machinery.

“For just a few pounds extra a week, customers can offset their greenhouse gas emissions and make their hires carbon neutral,” Ardent’s publicity material says.

Ardent has itself paid ClimateCare £22,000 to offset the 3,600 tonnes of CO₂ produced annually by its 55 HGVs for a year, meaning that it can claim all customer deliveries and collections are ‘carbon neutral’ until then. It has committed to doing this every year.

Ardent chief executive Jeremy Fish said: “I want customers to know that we are totally committed to helping our industry reduce its carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting is a practical, affordable solution for making hires carbon neutral, that can be acted upon today.  The investment we have made in offsetting the emissions from our HGV fleet shows our concern and determination to make a difference.”

Robert Stevens, director of partnerships at ClimateCare, said: “Clearly, Ardent’s innovative approach is taking a lead in the plant hire sector and we are delighted to be working with them on this very important initiative. Our trademark Climate+Care approach helps organisations take a smart approach to addressing their environmental impacts by offsetting their carbon emissions through projects which also support sustainable development.”

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