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A couple of posts ago, I noted a comment about CO2 emissions and business success by the consulting firm McKinsey.
McKinsey believe that: "Over the next five to 15 years, the way a company manages its carbon exposure could create or destroy its shareholder value".
Obviously, vehicle emissions are a big part of carbon exposure, so it was illuminating to see a headline in the Times last week, saying that a very large van fleet is "going green".
Shareholder value isn't only about getting good headlines, of course. And that's just as well, because the story went on to report that the business had converted four of its umpteen thousand vans to run on electricity "to improve its green credentials".
Did I detect just a hint of cynicism in the way they juxtaposed 'four' and 'green credentials'?
The fact that this fleet has only converted less than 0.05% of its fleet to run on electricity isn't the real issue, though. In fact, it's probably a good thing. The company's shareholders might sensibly conclude that four is quite enough for now, given that vans have a tough job to do and the current wave of electric vans are still essentially prototypes.
But these days even the tiniest move in an environmentally-friendly direction is likely to be hijacked to grab an easy green headline.
In the real world, making sustained inroads into costly fleet carbon is a complicated juggling act involving a myriad of factors from expenses policy to working patterns.
Getting drivers into low-CO2 cars is essential but, on its own, it isn't enough. Fuel prices have been winning the race against vehicle efficiency lately and, unfortunately, that gap will go on widening. To stay ahead of rising fuel costs (including electricity), fleets will have to bring down the amount of fuel they use more quickly than prices go up.
Businesses need to find a formula for mixing sustained productivity with real cuts in fuel volume. Not more bangs for their buck but more bucks from fewer fleet miles. I don't mean telling staff to hail a cab or catch a bus. Public transport is barely an option in many parts of the UK as it is, and it will become even less competitive outside major cities when public subsidies are withdrawn.
Forward-thinking businesses already want to look more holistically at their employees' mobility. Teleworking is one way to save fuel but it can't replace every journey. I think - in fact I know - that we will soon start to see new approaches. For instance, blending vehicle and communications technology with innovative approaches to funding, which will allow business to provide their staff with mobility at lower cost and with a smaller ecological footprint.
It's what I imagine McKinsey meant by managing carbon exposure to create shareholder value.
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