Fuelling our Greener Future: Why We've Switched to HVO

Here at Funky Monkey Tents, sustainability is at the heart of our business. It's woven into the very fabric of who we are from the handmade, sustainably sourced yurts we erect at your celebrations, to the wildflower meadow and beehives we tend at FMTHQ. We both come from environmental backgrounds, and that ethos has always driven the way we run our business. So when we find a meaningful way to do better, we do it. And that's exactly what we've done in 2026 with a change that we're genuinely proud of, switching all of our vehicles to run on HVO fuel. Fuelling our greener future from this point on.

So, What Exactly is HVO?

HVO stands for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, and it's a 100% renewable, fossil-free alternative to standard diesel. Rather than being refined from crude oil, HVO is produced from waste materials like cooking oils, animal fats, and vegetable oils. These are put through a high-temperature process called hydrogenation. The result is a clean-burning fuel that works in existing diesel engines without any modifications. No new vehicles needed, no complicated infrastructure, just a greener choice at the fuel point.

What really makes HVO stand out is the numbers behind it. It can reduce net CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel. That's not a marginal improvement it's a transformative one. It also significantly cuts other harmful emissions, including particulates and nitrogen oxides, making it better for local air quality as well as the wider climate.

Why Does This Matter for Us?

Running a marquee hire business involves vehicles and fuel is one of our larges costs and consideration when delivering our services. We're regularly loading up and driving across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, and Buckinghamshire to deliver, set up, and collect our structures. It's an unavoidable part of what we do, and transport has always been one of the harder elements of our carbon footprint to address. For many years we have tried to limit our travel radius for this very reason, but there's only so far that can take you, especially in an increasingly competitive market.

Switching to HVO is, quite simply, the single biggest step we've been able to take in reducing the environmental impact of our day-to-day operations. It allows us to keep doing what we love, creating beautiful, memorable spaces for your weddings and events while doing so in a way that remains close to our ethos.

Part of a Bigger Picture.

This change doesn't exist in isolation. It sits alongside everything else we already do, our LED lighting in the warehouse and at events, our reusable materials replacing single-use ones, our native tree planting programme, our carefully chosen UK manufacturers, and our partnerships with local suppliers who share our values. Sustainability at FM Tents is a whole-business commitment, not a box-ticking exercise. We complete regular environmental impact assessments precisely because we want our words to mean something in practice.

We know that many of you choose us not just for the beautiful structures we provide, but because our values align with yours. More and more couples are thinking carefully about the environmental footprint of their wedding day, and it genuinely means the world to us that we can be a supplier you feel good about choosing.

What's Next?

We'll keep looking. That's our promise. There will always be new developments, new products, and new ways of doing things that allow us to continue improving. HVO is a big step forward, but it's not the final destination, it's the next milestone on a journey we've been on since day one.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. If you'd like to know more about how we approach sustainability, head over to our sustainability page for the full picture. And if you're planning an event and want to work with a team that genuinely cares, we'd love to hear from you.