Astley Hire Leads The Hire Industry’s Sustainability Journey Through Innovation And Continual Improvement
As Astley Hire celebrates its 60th anniversary, the company continues to demonstrate how long-term success is built on innovation, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
About Astley Hire
From its origins as a family-owned tool hire company in Greater Manchester, Astley Hire has evolved into a specialist provider of industrial rental equipment for food manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and industrial customers throughout the north of England. The company supplies mobile elevated work platforms, industrial cleaning equipment, heating and cooling solutions, and also provides IPAF and PASMA training to help customers operate equipment safely and effectively.
While the business has changed significantly over the past six decades, its willingness to evolve has remained consistent. That mindset has shaped not only the services it provides, but also its approach to sustainability.
Building on a foundation of continual improvement
Long before sustainability became a mainstream business priority, Astley Hire had already embraced the principles of measurement, improvement, and independent verification. The organization has maintained certified management systems for decades, with its quality management system tracing its roots back to the British Standard that preceded ISO 9001. Today, Astley Hire holds certification to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001, with management systems deeply embedded throughout the organization.
As Martin Doran, General Manager at Astley Hire, explains, those systems have become part of the company's DNA:"At this point, it's difficult to know where the management system ends and where the business starts. It's become part of how we operate."
From curiosity to commitment
Around the time of COP26, company directors Michael Doran and Stephen Dorricott began asking a simple but important question: What was Astley Hire's carbon footprint, and what could be done to reduce it?
The discussion quickly gained momentum. While sustainability had always aligned with the company's values, the growing focus on climate change created a desire to better understand the organization's environmental impact and identify meaningful opportunities for improvement.
For Martin, who comes from a financial and data-driven background, the challenge was immediately intriguing:"Five years ago, I wouldn't have known where to start. Once you begin to understand how the figures work and how emissions are calculated, it starts to make sense. Then you can begin making informed decisions."
Determined to build the necessary knowledge, Martin completed specialized carbon accounting training, worked alongside external consultants, and gradually developed the internal capabilities needed to measure, analyze, and report the company's emissions. What started as a management discussion soon became a structured sustainability program that continues to evolve today.
Measuring what matters
Throughout the interview, Martin repeatedly returned to one central principle: the importance of data. Just as financial performance, customer engagement, and operational efficiency depend on measurement, Astley Hire believes sustainability improvements must be guided by accurate information and objective analysis.
You can't manage what you don't measure. The figures tell you where your biggest opportunities are. Once you know your pain points, you can decide what action to take and then measure whether it has delivered the outcome you expected.
Rather than treating carbon reporting as a compliance exercise, the company uses emissions data to support strategic decision-making. Understanding where emissions are generated allows Astley Hire to identify priorities, evaluate investment opportunities, and monitor whether its actions are delivering meaningful results. This approach has enabled the organization to make both incremental improvements and larger, transformational changes.
Solar panels have been installed across the business, natural gas combustion has been eliminated from parts of the operation, and vehicle fleets have transitioned from conventional diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), delivering significant reductions in associated emissions while maintaining operational practicality.
Alongside these larger projects, employees are encouraged to contribute their own ideas and improvements: "We talk a lot about one percent gains. One small change might not seem significant on its own, but when lots of people make small improvements, the overall impact becomes substantial."
Becoming a Sustainability Pioneer
Astley Hire's commitment to sustainability has consistently placed the company ahead of the curve within the rental industry. Following its implementation of ISO 14001 in 2018, Astley Hire became the first rental company in the UK to achieve independently verified PAS 2060 carbon neutrality. Building on that achievement, the company has now become the first rental company in the UK to achieve ISO 14068-1 verification, the internationally recognized standard for transitioning to net zero using carbon neutrality as a stepping stone.
For Martin, the transition from PAS 2060 to ISO 14068-1 reflects the growing maturity of sustainability reporting and carbon management: "PAS 2060 helped establish where we were. ISO 14068-1 goes further because it requires you to think about where you're going. There's much more focus on planning, future reductions and demonstrating continual progress."
The move to ISO 14068-1 aligns closely with Astley Hire's philosophy. Sustainability is not viewed as a one-time achievement, but as an ongoing process of measurement, innovation, and improvement. Since beginning its carbon reduction program, the company estimates that it has reduced its carbon footprint by approximately 25%, while continuing to work toward ambitious long-term targets.
Working with NQA (a Kiwa company)
As a long-standing NQA client, Astley Hire viewed independent, UKAS-accredited verification as a natural part of its sustainability journey. The organization's experience with management system certification had already demonstrated the value of external assessment, constructive challenge, and continuous improvement. That same philosophy carried through to its PAS 2060 and, later, ISO 14068-1 verifications.
According to Martin, the audit process provided valuable learning opportunities, particularly during the early stages when carbon accounting and reporting were still relatively new disciplines for the business. Rather than viewing audits as obstacles, Astley Hire embraced them as opportunities to improve. Feedback from NQA's team of Lead GHG Verifiers helped strengthen methodologies, improve data collection processes, and build confidence in the company's reporting.
Creating value for customers
While reducing its own environmental impact remains a priority, Astley Hire has also focused on how sustainability can benefit its customers. The company has increasingly aligned its purchasing and investment decisions with its sustainability objectives, expanding the availability of lower-emission equipment and reducing reliance on traditional diesel-powered alternatives wherever practical.
As a result, customers can increasingly access equipment solutions that support their own sustainability goals without compromising operational performance. Having established itself as an early adopter, Astley Hire believes its investment in sustainability, verified carbon neutrality, and lower-emission equipment will continue to create value for customers as expectations evolve.
Looking ahead
Although Astley Hire has already achieved carbon neutrality through a combination of emissions reductions and independently verified offsetting, the company views sustainability as an ongoing journey rather than a destination. Its focus remains firmly on reducing emissions wherever possible, identifying new technologies as they emerge, and continuing to make informed decisions based on reliable data.
As Astley Hire enters its seventh decade in business, its sustainability achievements represent the latest chapter in a long history of innovation, adaptation, and continuous improvement. The technologies may have changed and the challenges may look different, but the principle remains the same: understand what matters, keep improving, and always look ahead.
Continuing the journey
Astley Hire's journey shows how sustainability progress is built through accurate data, credible verification, and a long-term commitment to continuous improvement. It also highlights the importance of treating carbon neutrality as part of a broader business journey toward net zero, rather than as a standalone achievement.
Independent, UKAS-accredited verification gives organizations confidence that their claims are supported by robust evidence. It helps turn sustainability ambition into something measurable, credible and continually improving.
For Astley Hire, that approach has helped transform a long-standing commitment to improvement into a structured, evidence-based sustainability program.
As expectations around carbon reduction and responsible business continue to evolve, its experience demonstrates how early action, reliable data, and independent verification can support meaningful progress over time.
Source: This article was originally published by NQA, part of the Kiwa Group, and has been republished as part of the Why Trust Matters campaign. For the latest version and related resources, view the original article on the NQA website.
