The FORS Standard version 7.1

Requirement

To develop and implement long-term plans that minimise the negative environmental impacts of operations.

Purpose

To ensure that FORS Operators are prepared to meet increasing requirements on the industry to minimise the negative environmental impacts of their operations.

Demonstration

FORS Operators shall have a policy and supporting procedures in place to plan and implement emissions performance improvements.

The policy and procedures shall be a development on the FORS Bronze requirement O2 and include evidence of the Fuel and Emissions Champion’s competence.

FORS Operators shall undertake a review of the fleet operation, assessing the potential for initiatives that could minimise environmental impact and improve efficiency. Including the use of lower environmental impact vehicles as outlined in the fleet replacement plan in requirement S10 but shall also evaluate other sustainable ways of working that minimise the impact of the fleet operation. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Technology to optimise operations, including vehicle efficiency improvements
• Collaborating to share resources and infrastructure
• Use of renewable energy sources
• Retiming fleet activities to avoid peak congested periods
• Improving first time delivery performance
• Consolidating loads and activities
• Providing training to enable improvements in fuel efficiency
• Using e-cargo bikes to replace van movements
• Replacement of internal combustion engine forklifts to electric

FORS Operators shall use this review to identify key action areas that offer the best combination of cost effectiveness and environmental impact improvements. These action areas shall be incorporated into the operational performance action plan and include:

• The planned actions that will be taken to improve environmental performance over a four-year timeframe (from the date of initial submission)
• How progress will be monitored
• The target outcomes to be achieved at the end of the four-year period with interim targets for years one to three

FORS Operators shall demonstrate that this plan is actively maintained and include:

• A record of the actions taken and a review of progress against each target
• Any changes to targets or planned actions (with original targets recorded)
• Justification for not meeting planned targets

FORS operators should link these action areas to their fleet emissions data to track improvement over time.