Avis allows customers to carbon neutralise rentals via text

Avis is launching its latest environmentally friendly initiative across the UK this month, allowing customers to carbon neutralise their rental car’s CO2 emissions via text message. The car rental company has been enabling customers to offset emissions via avis.co.uk for a number of years and is now offering renters more than one way to do their bit for the environment.

“Now it is even easier for our customers to join us in our quest for a reduction in our carbon emissions,” says Daniel McCarthy, Commercial Director, Avis UK. “For the small cost of £1.50, customers just text the word ‘neutral’ to 01234, and they can make their rental CarbonNeutral.

“Last year 23% more Avis customers offset their rentals than in 2005 and with this new SMS service we hope to see this figure increase dramatically,” continues McCarthy.

The SMS service is the latest in a long line of climate–friendly projects from Avis. Over a decade ago it began a relationship with Future Forests (now known as The CarbonNeutral Company) and has already offset over 94,500 tonnes of CO2 since 2000. Avis has since invested in reducing its environmental impact through further CO2 offsetting, fleet changes, recycling efforts and large scale tree planting projects.

In June Avis UK introduced 20 Prius vehicles onto its fleet following the announcement, in February, that Avis Germany introduced natural gas VW Tourans to its fleet at 19 locations in 15 cities across the country. Avis Portugal and Scandivia also operate environmentally friendly fleets with models such as the Toyota Prius, ethanol-poered Saab 9-5 BioPowers and Ford Flexi-fuels avialable to rent.

For further information on Avis’ environmental approach please visit avis.co.uk/environment.