5 Steps We’ve Taken Towards Our Sustainability Goals


At Crown Oil, we’re working hard to minimise our impact on the environment

Due to our first-hand relationship with our customers, we understand how deeply dependent society is today on oil-based products for daily life. However, we know that this isn’t an excuse for inaction and instead a growing opportunity to make positive change in every way we can.

That’s why we’ve put sustainability at the core of our business and are going above and beyond to find ways to reduce that impact.

1. We’ve switched our entire fleet to HVO

We’re aware of the impact our business has on the environment, so we decided to make a huge change to our operations. In June 2021, we switched our entire fleet to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), which made us the first fuel distributor in the country to do so! This move is reducing our scope 1 emissions by up to 90% (saving around 3000 tCO2e each year) and we’re continuing to voluntarily offset the remaining 10%. We are also doing this for all customers that switch from fossil fuels to HVO.

2. We’ve been certified carbon neutral

So that we can fully understand our existing environmental impact, we carried out a detailed carbon footprint study and partnered with an external third party to validate our claims. This information enabled us to make systematic changes to our operations, leading to us becoming the first UK fuel distributor to be certified carbon neutral in accordance with PAS 2060:2014. We’ve achieved this huge milestone by reducing our unavoidable emissions, fuelling our fleet on HVO and compensating residual emissions through verified offset schemes.

3. We’ve launched a sustainability team

We believe that instilling sustainability throughout our operations is integral to our success. We’ve launched a brand-new sustainability team that consists of volunteers from across the business. They are responsible for ensuring staff are onboard so that we’re on track with our targets. We’re passionate about supporting the next generation of sustainability professionals and are actively involving all staff in our sustainability strategy. We also have a dedicated inbox to encourage new ideas so our colleagues can be an integral part of the change.

4. We’ve installed an air filtration and heat recovery system

We’ve upgraded our head office with controlled ventilation and a heat recovery system to provide better indoor air quality and lower our energy use. This will increase fresh air flow in office spaces to provide better comfort, productivity and health with the use of mechanical ventilation. We’re using a heat recovery unit to avoid significant increase in heating energy, which serves the dual purpose of reducing our energy usage and the costs associated.

5. We’ve launched a staff volunteering programme

We’re continuously investigating new ways to be a force for positive change and are amplifying our efforts to give back to our local community. This year we’ve started staff volunteering days during work hours, giving individuals the chance to develop new skills while giving back to society and working on issues they feel passionate about.

Not only this, but we regularly donate money and resources to a wide range of charities and local causes, events and community sports teams. In the last 12 months, we’ve raised £14,500 to help local charities through the pandemic recovery and cost-of-living crisis.

What’s next?

Of course, our efforts aren’t stopping here! We are working hard to move beyond achieving PAS 2060 carbon neutrality and are actively setting additional targets, most notably achieving net zero direct emissions by 2030, which will be reviewed each year in light with business and emission reduction performance.