Managing our impact

As a responsible automotive services provider the RAC recognises that its activities, products and services have an impact on the environment.

As such, we are committed to not only being compliant with all relevant environmental legislation and regulations, but also to the principles of prevention of pollution and to continuous improvement.

Our environmental management system is certified to ISO14001 and as part of this we establish annual objectives and initiatives to minimise our environmental impacts.

RAC’s greatest environmental impact is our vehicle fleet and initiatives to reduce this include an ongoing vehicle replacement programme introducing more fuel efficient vehicles into our fleet, a training programme for our drivers to improve driving behaviours and the use of telematics in our vehicles.

We also have ongoing initiatives to reduce our energy consumption and to minimise our waste across all our sites and in our roadside operation.

There has also been a significant investment in information technology across the business which includes cloud-based collaboration solutions that will enable colleagues to operate remotely which will further reduce the need for business travel and commuting.

RAC will continue to take a lead in influencing motorist behaviour, government transport strategy and motor industry practices as together we can reduce the impact on the environment from motoring.

Waste and recycling

The RAC has established business waste management and recycling programmes at its sites and across its fleet operation. Disposal methods for waste are determined through the collaborative efforts of the Group and its waste management partners. Working together, new opportunities have been identified for recycling waste and reducing usage of incineration and landfill. Wherever possible waste is recycled and several of the Group’s waste streams are recycled in innovative ways including furniture being recycled into animal bedding, carpet underlay and note books and contaminated fuel being recycled so it can be used again.

Reducing energy, water and paper consumption

There have been various improvements introduced to reduce energy, water and paper consumption. The Group has seen an overall reduction of 12% for gas and electricity and an over 50% reduction in the amount of paper being printed in RAC offices.

Improvements to drainage and pumps that distribute water, new PC and monitor reporting systems to ensure that PCs are switched off overnight, switching to LED when replacing or introducing new lighting and the implementation of a strict temperature control policy have all helped to reduce the Group’s consumption of resources. The RAC has also introduced new printers across its sites that automatically print double-sided and in black and white. Printing is also controlled by colleagues’ security tags which has not only reduced the amount of paper and printer cartridges used, but has also increased security of information.