Speedy Hire launches industry first Biodiversity Impact Score developed with Mott MacDonald

Speedy Hire, the UK’s leading provider of tools and equipment, has launched an industry first Biodiversity Impact Score for construction hire equipment. Developed in partnership with the Nature Services team at global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald, the score is calculated as part of a biodiversity footprint assessment.

For the first time, customers will see the biodiversity impact of the equipment they hire, as well as practical actions they can take to reduce it and support nature’s recovery. The new scoring system strengthens Speedy Hire’s longstanding commitment to sustainability and marks a major milestone in its ambition to contribute to global Nature Positive goals.

A biodiversity footprint works in a similar way to a carbon footprint, but instead of measuring greenhouse gases, it estimates how human activities affect nature. Using internationally recognised lifecycle assessment methods, a full biodiversity footprint considers factors such as land use, water consumption and resource extraction. It translates these environmental pressures into a single number – the Biodiversity Impact Score – that tells us how much of our activities contribute towards an annual rate of global species loss. While an estimate, this score gives a simple but powerful way to understand biodiversity impact in new ways, and to take meaningful steps towards restoring nature.

For Speedy Hire, its Biodiversity Impact Score links equipment level carbon emissions to impacts on nature, bringing previously inaccessible nature data directly to Speedy Hire customers. The insights are fully integrated into the myspeedy app, enabling users to see which equipment they have hired, the associated carbon impact, and the related implications for nature.

The launch of this new reporting capability follows Speedy Hire’s first submission to the voluntary Taskforce for Nature related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), where the company publicly disclosed its nature related risks and opportunities. The move demonstrates Speedy Hire’s leadership in transparent environmental reporting and reinforces its commitment to shaping a more resilient, nature positive construction sector.

With its Biodiversity Impact Score, Speedy Hire is giving customers a powerful way to turn intent into real, positive change for nature.

By integrating carbon and nature scoring into its customer tools and decision-making processes, Speedy Hire will use these insights to recommend ecoproduct alternatives aligned with customers’ Net Zero and Nature Positive objectives. This holistic approach supports wholelife carbon and cost management and is a key component of Speedy Hire’s ‘Decade to Deliver’ strategy. As part of this plan, the company aims for 70% of its core fleet to be ecoproducts by 2027, driving ecorevenue growth and progressing towards its near term Scope 3 carbon reduction targets for 2030.

Julia Baker, technical director, nature services at Mott MacDonald, commented:

“Nature Positive commitments are rising across UK construction, but they must turn into real action. With its Biodiversity Impact Score, Speedy Hire is giving customers a powerful way to turn intent into real, positive change for nature.”

Matthew Pygott, head of net zero at Speedy Hire, commented: "By holistically bringing together carbon emission reporting with nature reporting, we are bringing compelling narratives to customers for new product solutions. Our insights are helping customers make sustainable choices reducing their impact on nature. We are proud to be the first hire company to do this, cementing our position as a leader in sustainability”.