HGVC turns driver training carbon neutral with over 1,500 new trees planted to date

HGVC has become the first HGV training specialist to announce carbon neutral training. To date, over 1,500 trees have been planted – one for every HGVC training course ordered since the beginning of its partnership with THG. HGVC offers high-quality HGV driver training via 400+ centres across the United Kingdom.

Offering both small and large-scale licence acquisition programmes, it is the provider of choice for many companies across the country. HGVC is now helping reduce carbon-dioxide: under the new agreement with THG, the trees will off-set any carbon created by the vehicles used during the training. Each tree planted as part of this agreement absorbs around 0.3 tonnes of carbon-dioxide (CO2), with each HGVC training courses generating less than 0.1 tonne (approximately 82kg on average) of CO2.

As such, HGVC will be operating in carbon-negative way, helping to eliminate more CO2 than it produces. In addition, these trees will enhance natural spaces and create new habitats for wildlife, increasing biodiversity and pollinators. THG’s tree-planting projects help to tackle deforestation and poverty in many areas of the world, including Madagascar, Kenya and Haiti.

These new forested areas help to channel water to communities and farmers desperately in need of it, as well as helping nature. The re-emergence of healthy forests helps to purify water sources, control flooding, revitalise soil and improve local weather patterns.  James Clifford, CEO of HGVC, said: “We are very proud of our partnership with THG.

We understand the urgent need to reduce carbon-dioxide, and how companies like ours can help to address it. We want to be part of the solution, and this policy will ensure that we remove more carbon from the atmosphere than we create. “We know our clients take this issue seriously too and we want to help them achieve their green targets as well as our own.

Alongside this new directive, we will continue to monitor and reduce our carbon footprint, as well as seeking out alternative, renewable energy solutions and improving the fuel efficiency of our vehicles.”

Jane Pocock, Managing Director of HGV client Copart UK & Ireland, said: “Every small change we make at Copart can have a big impact.

So, I’m delighted that through our partnership with HGVC we can offset any carbon created by our Driver Academy Programme with this project and help restore the balance.”