How drawing on the power of telematics can help your organisation enhance its ESG performance and reporting in FY2027

The solution that's being used to run your corporate fleet may yield an under-tapped stream of valuable ESG insights.

Is your business making maximum use of all the Environmental Social and Governance data in its keeping, and identifying every opportunity to improve its performance?

For many Australian enterprises, the answer is no. Large and mid-sized businesses are required to develop comprehensive ESG frameworks, measure the effectiveness of their efforts to reduce their carbon footprints and drive positive social outcomes, and report on them annually. At the same time, businesses have access to more data than ever before, creating opportunities to use information already being collected across the organisation to support these efforts.

Information relating to fleet vehicle usage invariably forms part of those reports but, historically, the data they've drawn on has been captured manually. Typically it's been a snapshot, extracted once or twice a year from the organisation's fleet management platform.

Accessing a continual stream of insights

Latest generation telematics technology can deliver far more by way of ESG evidence. Fitted to vehicles, telematic trackers and devices can deliver a rich flow of data on how those vehicles are being driven, and their fuel efficiency and consumption, on a day to day basis.

That's the sort of granular detail organisations are increasingly being expected to produce in their ESG reports.

Automatically piping the data through to an enterprise platform – typically Microsoft 365 – means it can be analysed using Power BI, and reported on, easily, quickly and often. It can also be used to establish ESG benchmarks. 

Putting those benchmarks in place is enabling forward thinking organisations to identify and pursue continuous improvement on a range of fronts.

Breaking down the benefits of granular vehicle data

One of the ways some businesses are instigating positive change is via policies and initiatives to encourage employees to drive more carefully.  

The signs and signals captured by telematics technology are being used to create detailed driving profiles of all employees who use their employers' corporate fleets. This means problematic driving behaviours, such as erratic steering and harsh braking, can be identified and addressed, via coaching and counselling programs.

Smoother, safer driving means fewer incidents and accidents, less wear and tear on vehicles and lower fuel consumption. That's a win for businesses and the environment both.

Enabling employees to feel safe and supported on the road 

Enhanced oversight of fleet vehicles, courtesy of latest generation telematics technology, is delivering another important ESG benefit: a higher level of worker safety and wellbeing.
Being out on the road and, potentially, out of mobile range, can be a source of significant stress and anxiety for workers, especially those travelling solo. 

Devices have the capacity to sense worker environments, maintain precise location awareness and create intelligent connections between devices, systems and people, via connectivity, telematics and applications, including lone worker duress and safety alarm tools.

The signals they transmit can be immediately interpreted and forwarded to the personnel responsible for activating an appropriate response.

Knowing they're able to raise the alarm instantly and have someone come to their aid, should their vehicle break down or become involved in an accident or incident, is highly reassuring for workers. 

Deriving greater value from your organisation's investment in telematics

Modern telematics technology enables fleet managers to maintain a high level of oversight of vehicle assets and the employees who drive them, but the data they collect has broader applications. 

Made available in an easy to access repository, it can be harnessed by ESG practitioners to boost their organisation's reporting capacity and benchmark their efforts to improve ESG performance. If your organisation is yet to go down this road, you're potentially leaving a great deal of value on the table.