Perpetuating a culture of sustainability, charitable works, and giving back to the community, Checkmate Fire is devoted to ethical, sustainable, and responsible working. Checkmate has been working hard to prove it, starting with the announcement of the latest ‘green scheme’.
Way ahead of the government’s aim for all new vehicles to be electric by 2030, Checkmate is already on target to achieve a fully electric fleet by the end of this year, reducing the annual C02 footprint by over 98 tonnes.
Enhanced environmental commitments
With Checkmate’s first set of 7 electric cars having been delivered earlier this month, along with charging points installed at Checkmate colleagues’ homes, the rest of the people are left clamoring for their sustainable deliveries.
And that’s not all. At Checkmate, this is just the start of their enhanced environmental commitments.
Checkmate’s Green Scheme
Checkmate is working on initiatives to move up the waste hierarchy, or re-use into secondary products
Already recovering energy from almost all of the waste generated from the site-based activities, Checkmate is working on initiatives to move up the waste hierarchy, spearheading specific projects to recycle timber fire door products, or re-use them into secondary products wherever possible.
Striving to be an industry-recognized leader in Environment, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG), Checkmate is also looking to carbon offset the entire energy usage, or switch to a completely green supply.
Minimizing energy use
Checkmate is starting to work with the supply chain to not just understand their environmental credentials but learn from them on ways they are minimizing energy use or offsetting impacts from their manufacturing processes.
But something Checkmate considers a huge milestone, has been ‘electrifying’ the company car fleet.
Supporting the green policies
After deciding to go electric, Checkmate partnered with GoFor Finance in the supply of the new Tesla fleet. GoFor displayed a can-do attitude in supporting the green policies and desire to improve, delivering an offer that was more than just a ‘rate per month’.
The partnership added value to our operational teams by reducing the complexity of managing numerous suppliers, creating one clear platform for the management of all fleet cars (including existing run-out fossil fleets), DVLA checking our drivers, and setting up a driver app to ensure we take care of the teams and vehicles.
Reducing costs with electric vehicles
Checkmate also sees expanding choice of electric vehicles naturally reducing costs as competition grows
At first, Checkmate was expecting the change to all come at a significant cost and was concerned that the costs would perhaps become an overriding factor in adoption. However, actual full-life costs taking into account traditional fossil fuel spending meant that the overall cost impact of higher rental costs was often offset by the cost of fuel.
Yes, it cost a small amount more, but far less than anticipated based on the fleet usage Checkmate also sees in the long term the expanding choice of electric vehicles naturally reducing costs as competition grows. And it is proud to be a front-runner in this arena.
Boundless Benefits
But that’s not all. There are much wider benefits too. Simplifying the offer to a single model, with no upgrades, means that the fleet is fluid. The teams are aware that if their Tesla is above mileage, they are expected to swap during the term with lower mileage, and vice-versa.
If Checkmate has a new starter, and a stood vehicle, it is the same model and spec as every other one, rather than the old-fashioned prohibitive car bandings, meaning more productive use of the fleet and lower costs and the teams are happy that they are treated with equal levels of respect.
Investing in the Employees
And then to the most important part; the drivers are over the moon with their new Teslas, posing for multiple selfies with very little coercion, and making any partners/children in the passenger seat earn their place with the ‘Karaoke app’.
Bolstering the business benefits, Checkmate has a delighted team, with exceptional cars and new gadgets to play with, that cost each person on average about £90 per month less than the previous car when weighed up against benefits in kind through the government’s current incentives.
Authority comments
We are all very lucky to be driving what will be the future in technology on our roads"
Speaking with some of the new Tesla drivers, our Contracts Manager, Scott, said, “My whole family is so happy with our new car – the kids love it. It has heated seats, looks amazing, is easy to use and comfy to drive, and it fits with our target to ‘go green.”
Operations Manager, Mark, showed equal enthusiasm, saying “The car looks and drives amazing! We are all very lucky to be driving what will be the future in technology on our roads…both my girls love sitting in a warm car playing the Tesla games, and I like being able to defrost and heat the car from my bed before setting off to work on a frosty morning, as well as my phone being the key.”
sustainable improvement
How and why has Checkmate done all this? It is passionate about making real sustainable improvements, reducing the impact of the works it delivers and the local environments it works in.
It’s a constant challenge, and sometimes a frustrating one. As the largest independent passive fire protection business, changing an entire fleet to electric is a key milestone, however, there is more work to be done.
Sustainability School
Recently, one of our key strategic clients, introduced Checkmate to the ‘Sustainability School’, which focuses on providing value add to sectors through expertise, skills, and experience in all things sustainable.
As a direct consequence, Gavin was keen to drive real improvement into our business. Gavin learned a lot about like-minded suppliers and clients and the often-shared environmental hurdles they face.
circular solutions
Gavin is very keen to find circular solutions to the plastics used in the installation of mastics’ in fire-stopping works
It’s not always about the balance between the environment and finances, it is sometimes as simple as “this is the right thing to do, now”. But it is not always that easy.
For instance, Gavin is very keen to find circular solutions to the plastics used in the installation of mastics’ in fire-stopping works complexities around transport impacts, low-cost consumable goods, and high-tech molding equipment have all led to roadblocks along the way. Projects take time and input from multiple sources to conclude, and sometimes it is like-minded clients, that kick-start Checkmate out on that journey.
Collaborative approach
Put simply, Checkmate is not giving up yet in the quest to find solutions to the industries’ biggest environmental issues, and it welcomes a collaborative approach across the industry to make it happen.
The teams work tirelessly to improve the fire safety of the customer's buildings. If they can do this with the wider support of the business, minimizing the environmental impacts of their work the benefits are direct to the customers.
