Reducing vehicle emissions

Emissions from vehicle exhausts are a significant source of air pollutants including:

• CO2
• carbon monoxide
• fine dust particles
• nitrogen oxides
• unburnt hydrocarbons

There are also vehicle emissions of particles from tyre and brake wear.

Vehicle emissions result in outdoors air pollution and even higher levels of air pollution inside the emitting vehicles.

Air pollution from vehicle emissions may:

• lead to ill health and even death - In the UK around 40,000 deaths each year are attributable to exposure to outdoor air pollution; outdoors air pollution is linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and changes associated to dementia. 
• damage the environment and contribute to climate change
• cause a nuisance to your neighbours and those on roadsides

Businesses often need to transport people and goods, and provide services, and so will contribute to the air pollution impacts.

Find the best ways for your business to use transport. This will:

• reduce the potential negative health and environmental impacts of your business's transport use
• save your business money
• improve business sustainability image, and with that
• attract new customers

This guideline explains how to choose and use greener methods of transport, for staff travel and your supply chain. It will also help you to identify advice programmes, training tools and financial incentives that can help your business take action to reduce emissions of air pollutants, your carbon footprint and your transport costs.