World’s Largest Car Rental Company Honored at GBTA Annual Convention
ST. LOUIS, 2012-08-15 — /travelprnews.com/ — Enterprise Holdings, owner and operator of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, announced today that the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation has honored the company with its Project ICARUS sustainability Gold Medal. InterContinental Hotels Group and Symantec also received Gold Medals at GBTA’s annual convention in Boston.
The Project ICARUS sustainability Gold Medal program recognizes travel industry organizations that are actively integrating sustainability into the way they manage their business. Project ICARUS is a leading source of information, education and support on sustainability issues affecting the corporate travel and meetings industry.
Enterprise was recognized in part because of its commitment to addressing three pillars of sustainability — social, environmental and economic — across its operations. The company was also commended for its leadership and industry collaboration as it works to promote sustainable practices to business partners, suppliers and customers.
“From our fleet and operations to our support for conservation, renewable fuels research and advancing new vehicle technology, we take a broad view of what it means to be a sustainable business,” said Lee Broughton, head of corporate sustainability at Enterprise Holdings. “Recognition by the GBTA Project ICARUS team further affirms the investment we are making to support the future of our company and our industry.”
EnterpriseHoldings – through its regional subsidiaries – operates the world’s largest local car rental network, which includesmore than 7,700 neighborhood and airport locations, with 6,000 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population.The company has taken a strong leadership role in the car rental and travel industries with its corporate sustainability efforts, which include:
- 20/20 Vision Program: Enterprise continues to make progress in its plan to reduce overall energy consumption and cost across its network of branches by 20 percent by 2015.
- Enterprise Sustainable Construction Protocol (ESCP): In 2011, Enterprise created the ESCP guidelines for new construction and for retrofitting existing Enterprise Rent-A-Car rental locations. More than $150 million will be invested in sustainable construction over the next five years. As an example of this commitment in action, Enterprise opened the industry’s first LEED Silver-certified independent rental facility at O’Hare International Airport in 2010.
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels: Located at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the world’s largest plant science research institution, Enterprise established the Institute to support the research and development of new and sustainable methods of creating next-generation biofuels from nonfood crops such as camelina, switchgrass and algae that someday could be used to power cars, trucks and aircraft, reducing both environmental impact and the nation’s dependence on foreign fuel sources.
- Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge: Enterprisepartnered with the Arbor Day Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service to plant 1 million trees on public lands throughout the United States, Canada, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom over 50 years at a cost of $50 million.
- Corporate Sustainability Report: In 2011, Enterprise published its first sustainability report highlighting several goals for 2015, including reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, lowering energy consumption and related costs and continuing to fulfill the company’s 50 Million Tree Pledge.
Additionally, Enterprise is part of the nation’s largest electric vehicle (EV) rollout, and the first car rental company in the U.S. to offer the extended-range electric Chevy Volt.
“Enterprise Holdings is the world’s largest purchaser of passenger vehicles, which puts us in a unique position to bring sustainable transportation options to our retail, airport and corporate customers,” said Broughton. “Through our one-of-a-kind local car-rental and car-sharing network, we are able to quickly and efficiently introduce millions of drivers to new automotive technology.”
A corporate member of the Electrification Coalition and the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Clean Cities” National Clean Fleets Partnership, the company also recently announced it has converted its fleet of airport shuttle buses to biodiesel in more than 50 North American markets.
For more information about Enterprise’s Corporate Sustainability Report or the brand’s environmental stewardship and long-term commitment to the sustainability of its business, visit www.DrivingFutures.com and follow @LeeBroughton on Twitter.
About Enterprise Holdings
Founded in 1957, Enterprise Holdings is the most comprehensive service provider in the car rental industry, operating – through its regional subsidiaries – the Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental brands as well as its flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in North America. Alamo, Enterprise and National – which swept Executive Travel magazine’s 2011 “Leading Edge Awards” for the top three car rental brands in the travel industry – collectively lead with more than one-third of all airport business in the United States and Canada. In addition to operating the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in the UK, Germany and Ireland, Enterprise Holdings operates corporate locations in France and Spain. The company also operates a licensee network managing the National and Alamo brands in 24 countries throughout the Americas, plus six countries (Guam, Korea, Philippines, Saipan, Singapore and Thailand) in the Pacific Rim and in Brazil. Enterprise Holdings also is partnering with eHi Auto Rental Services in China.
Enterprise Holdings’ worldwide network includes almost 7,800 neighborhood and airport locations, with 6,000 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population – and more than twice as many locations as Enterprise Holdings’ nearest U.S. competitor. With annual revenues of $14.1 billion and more than 70,000 employees, Enterprise Holdings owns and operates more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, making it the largest car rental company in the world measured by revenue, employees and fleet. In addition, the company’s annual revenues place it near the top of the travel industry, exceeding many airlines and most cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies. Ranked No. 15 on the Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies, Enterprise Holdings is owned by the Taylor family and is the only investment-grade company in the U.S. car rental industry.
Enterprise Holdings and its affiliates offer business and retail customers a total transportation solution, which includes hourly rental, car leasing, WeCar car sharing and Enterprise Rideshare vanpooling programs, as well as the Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Commercial Trucks and Enterprise Fleet Management business lines. For more information about St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com. This news release and other announcements are available at the Enterprise Holdings press room.
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