What it means to be green for a small business fleet.

What happens when a family-owned waste management business in Manchester decides to try and reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions using vehicle tracking? "Going the extra mile" for customers takes on a whole new meaning.

It's like having a helicopter view of operations, enabling STE owner Marcus Farmer to improve visibility and routing of his seven strong fleet of general waste and recycling??trucks.

• The STE fleet travel 20 miles less per vehicle in the first week.
• Less cost to the business and the environment.
• STE customers are happy with a truly sustainable service.

[video width="500" height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWKrn6gmFEo[/video]

For a business making over 3,000 waste collections every week in Manchester and Cheshire, STE ??? an acronym for Save the Environment ??? sustainability is a balancing act.

STE prides itself on being green and eco friendly and reducing fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions are a top priority.??And unlike other waste management company owners, Marcus is actively engaging with customers on so called green issues.

As the company continues to expand with new locations and services, leading from the front with sustainable practices will become an even bigger part of the company's marketing strategy.

But, these days, running a fleet of vehicles can be a big headache for small business owners. On one hand you need your vehicles out there earning a living, on the other you are under pressure to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions to reduce cost to the business and to the environment.

The problem is that it is very difficult to reconcile profitability with sustainability. The priority for business owners and fleet managers can be summed up in three words "takes costs out," meaning that, in the real world, green isn't green unless it costs less. It's a bit of a catch-22 situation.

At STE, this was becoming an issue bordering on frustration. Marcus was worried that getting vehicle miles down to improve sustainability could impact on business performance. " In this climate, where the cost of running a vehicle is exceptionally high, green is about getting vehicle miles down without impacting of productivity. This is what being sustainable means to small, medium size fleets," he said.

Founded in 1994 STE has always had a guiding commitment to eco-friendly solutions for business waste and our own performance. "The idea was, and still is,??to educate clients that waste is a resource that can be re used within the green economy to??create new products and jobs," Marcus added.

"Ensuring our operations have minimal environmental impact, we strive to maximise our recycling performance, reduce our vehicle's emissions footprint and maintain a carbon neutral office.

"Vehicle tracking helps us go the extra "green" mile for customers. For us, Navman is an environmental tool as well as an effective business tool.??Green isn't green unless it costs less. Every mile saved puts ??1.50 back on the bottom line."

Marcus agreed to make a short movie about how he is using vehicle tracking to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions ???.You can watch it here via the link above. Reviewing the final footage, we're excited at how well it turned out, and we're hoping it will resonate with you.