CitySprint is to take part in a biodiesel trial with the Environmental Agency.  CitySprint's involvement in the trial is further testament to its environmental programme.  Announcement of this trial comes just after CitySprint was awarded the ISO 14001:2004 - Environmental Management System (EMS) standard.

CitySprint, which was recently awarded a two-year national contract with The Environment Agency and The National Laboratory Service (NLS), became involved in the project after offering a carbon neutral solution and making a commitment to offset the carbon they produce whilst carrying out work for The Environment Agency and NLS.

The trial, which will begin in April 2007, will see The Environment Agency and CitySprint trial the use of high blend Biodiesel (B22). The biodiesel will contain recycled vegetable oil sourced from the food industry which is then processed to allow blending with normal, ultra low sulphur diesel. The B22 blend is an alternative fuel that will be trialled in regular diesel vehicles which have not been modified. It is expected that use of this alternative fuel will reduce carbon emissions by up to 20%. Natural England and British Waterways will also be taking part in the trial.

The aim of the trial is to demonstrate the environmental and economic viability of this part-renewable fuel and to demonstrate that the fuel is viable in a commercial situation. As well as calculating carbon savings the Environment Agency will also be looking at whether there are any increased costs associated with the fuel such as extra servicing. If the results of the trial are favourable the Environment Agency wants to encourage others to use the fuel across their fleet. As such, the Environment Agency aims to produce a follow up report that is a tool for fleet managers to help decide whether or not to run their fleets on this fuel.

Environmental awareness has always been high on CitySprint's agenda. With a courier fleet of over 1000 vehicles it recognises that its business practices have a substantial effect on the environment and as such believes that it has a responsibility to the public, its customers, suppliers, employees and the environment in general to minimise that impact. As testament to this CitySprint has implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices and recently been accredited with the ISO 14001:2004 - Environmental Management System (EMS) standard.