Transport
Transport is a key component within the calculation of the Alliance Boots carbon footprint. The movement of goods from manufacturers to our distribution centres to retail stores and hospitals generates carbon dioxide. Alliance Boots is committed to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide it produces from its transport operations whilst maintaining the high frequency of our on time deliveries for life-saving pharmaceutical products.
It makes commercial as well as environmental sense for vehicles to drive more kilometres per litre of fuel, so we continue to look at a range of different activities to improve this efficiency. These include driver training, purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles, use of optimisation delivery software, new route schedules and shared user schemes.
Efficiency
While our Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division maintains more vehicles overall, the growth in prescriptions supplied by our Health & Beauty Division to care homes and patient's homes requires more vans to make local deliveries. Both Divisions make use of third party contractors. Rail usage is low due to the nature of our business activities.
The Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division operates a large fleet and drives a significant number of road kilometres, which reflects both its business model and the importance of its role in delivering healthcare products and services to the community.
Every small step makes a difference
Every year, the Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division makes multiple deliveries of pharmaceutical products to our pharmacist customers. At the beginning of 2009, Alliance Healthcare France, our principal pharmaceutical wholesale business in France, began to use newly designed delivery crates which are 20% lighter and more durable than the old versions. As a direct result of this small change in day to day activity, Alliance Healthcare France has managed to achieve greater efficiency, improved working conditions and reduce the impact on the environment.
Introducing ‘Eco Start’ vans
In December 2008 Alliance Healthcare (Distribution), our principal pharmaceutical wholesale business in the UK, introduced 20 ‘Eco Start’ vans into its fleet. ‘Eco Start’ vans utilise the latest ‘stop/start’ technology to turn themselves off automatically when stationary. In addition, we are now exploring the possibility of fitting speed limiters in our fleet of vans across our Pharmaceutical Wholesale Division, which have been proven by Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) to improve fuel efficiency by over 6%.
Employee business travel by type
The carbon footprint generated by employee business travel has remained broadly consistent year on year, despite the overall growth in the size of the Group during this period.
- * Data has been restated for the year 31 March 2008.
- Data excludes product deliveries.
