BP is to offer a bespoke corporate package to any fleets looking to neutralise their CO2 output under the company's new Targetneutral project.

Targetneutral is a non-profit initiative that calculates a CO2 figure based on size of car, fuel type and annual mileage to come up with a cash amount to offset the output. BP has set up an independent advisory panel to monitor the scheme and the projects it funds.

The company says its initial focus is at consumers, as there's currently no structure for private motorists to offset their output.

But Schrank, who worked on BP's Australian equivalent scheme called Global Choice, said business fleets could have an individual programme built dependent on their requirements.

"We would allow business customers to be flexible about what they offset, all or part of their emissions, dependent on how it fits with their strategy," she said. "We don't give this flexibility to retail customers, but for business the cost could be thousands of pounds depending on fleet size. Rather than an off-the-shelf product, we would work one-to-one to make sure they get a solution to suit their strategy."

The company estimates the annual cost of neutralising a 1.8-litre petrol saloon that covers 23,500 miles per year to be just under £30. By comparison, the estimate for a van delivery driver doing around 30 urban miles per day is just over £25.

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