Europcar’s green charter certified by Bureau Veritas

Europcar International, the European leader in passenger car and light utility vehicle rental, today announced that it has received certification for its “Green Charter,” which formalizes its commitments in favor of sustainable development. It is the first such certification for a company in Europe by Bureau Veritas Certification in the fields of quality, safety, health, the environment and social responsibility.

“We have been offering ‘green’ cars for over 10 years and we play a pioneering role in our industry,” pointed out Salvatore Catania, Chief Executive Officer of Europcar Groupe. “As the European leader, we have decided to go even further by taking a systematic approach to sustainable development and by measuring the effectiveness of our initiatives in a transparent manner. The development and certification of our Charter are part of this innovative approach.”

Developed in 2007 in association with Europcar’s major partners and customers, the Green Charter consists of commitments in four main areas:

- A “green” fleet: 99.6% of Europcar’s vehicles are certified “Euro IV” (the most recent, applicable European Union emissions standards for vehicles) and, whenever possible, Euro V (the next-generation standard). The average age of cars in Europcar’s fleet is four months, versus eight years for the average car driven on European roads.

- Fleet maintenance: Europcar is committed to instituting programs to collect and recycle materials, including waste, oil-based fluids, and the water used at all of its car wash facilities.

- Internal processes related primarily to fleet purchasing, headquarters administration, local stations and maintenance centers in Europe, as well as to Europcar’s approach to the safety and well-being of its customers, employees and partners.

- Initiatives to raise awareness among customers: Europcar recently launched a carbon-offset program for customers who want to compensate for their CO2 emissions. The company also provides vehicles’ average CO2 emissions in car descriptions so customers can make greener rental decisions.

Bureau Veritas Certification will certify that Europcar International’s Green Charter respects all of the commitments set.

Europcar took its first measures in favor of the environment 10 years ago with the opening of an “environmental station” in Paris. It was notably the first car rental company in Europe to offer hybrid and electric cars, and it regularly introduces new, cleaner-energy models into its fleet. In France, Europcar has won the “Oxygen Awards” twice for its environmental efforts. The company is currently implementing an electronic rental contract system which substantially reduces paper consumption.