Sustainability
The Sustainable Freight Network
Sharing knowledge, creating the change.
The race to
'Net Zero'
The term net zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere. (Oxford University 2022)
Today, logistics contributes up to 24% of global CO2 emissions and if we continue at this rate emissions will double by 2050.
Now is the time to act. In June 2019 the UK government legislated a net zero emissions target, decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy by 2050 and in fact even as early as 2035; reducing 78% of emissions produced by our industries.
With targets still not matched by actions, as was the case after COP26, implementation and delivery remain key global challenges.
Is Net Zero really possible?
Minimising emissions of freight
This is a challenge like no other we have seen before.
Baxter Freight works with thousands of suppliers and customers who will need to find their way through the complexity of reducing carbon emissions.
We are at the early stage of our sustainability journey, working with suppliers to find the most sustainable logistics solutions to help customers minimise their carbon footprint.
Leading change at Baxter Freight is the Sustainable Freight Network Team who are committed to understanding the complexity of the challenge ahead and support our supplier network to keep up with the changes coming that will impact our industry.
Sustainable Freight Network
Passionate about driving change in our industry, it is our ambition to innovate by collaborating with organisations, academics and thought leaders to find a path to create a Sustainable Freight Network.
We know it’s big and we know we can’t do it alone, but when collaboration happens at a global scale with partners, suppliers, and customers who all want the same thing, we know we can make a meaningful change.
Tom Isler has already begun the path to becoming a Sustainable Freight practitioner training with the Smart Freight Centre and working together with local universities.
We believe if we start to support suppliers now to manage their approach to sustainability, even the smallest changes can have a significant accumulative effect.
Greenwashing isn’t an option; we want to get this right.
Carbon reporting and the impact on logistics
Carbon reporting is linked to the goal of Net Zero. But reporting isn’t a simple task because of its complexity the task ahead will seem very daunting for our suppliers and our customers.
The term net zero is important because – for CO2 at least – this is the state at which global warming stops. The Paris Agreement underlines the need for net zero.
As well as deep and widespread cuts in emissions, we will likely need to scale up removals. But to be able to understand the emissions that are being produced these will need to be reported on.
We are here to help shed light on some of the complex aspects of the race to Net Zero.
Reporting of emissions
Scope 1
Direct company owned or controlled emissions occurring at source
Scope 2
Emissions associated with the production of energy consumed by a company
Scope 3
Indirect emissions associated with company activities from sources not owned or controlled by a company
The government expects that the recommendations of the international Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures will be fully mandatory across the UK by 2025, which will require greater consideration to be given to scope 3 emissions.
Scope 3 is directly linked to logistics and we are here to actively engage our network in this discussion.
If you are interested in being part of this network please contact us.
Powerful partnerships
Our partnership with DHL is vital to the evolution of a Sustainable Freight Network. A global powerhouse they are continuously innovating to drive change in this sector:
“As a leader in logistics, we want to reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero. This is a path that requires courage to test technologies and alternatives, but it also requires persuasion in order to get business partners on board to drive change together. We can reach real decarbonization in logistics only in collaboration with all players,” says Antje Huber, Senior Vice President Marketing & Strategy, responsible for green logistics at DHL Freight.
What we can do now
If you are looking for a sustainable way to move your goods today, the great news is we can still help you!
Our partnerships with suppliers such as DHL, who have launched a wide variety of electric vehicles, including the UK’s first Volvo heavy goods vehicles, means we can offer you alternative solutions.
Our Consolidate team are masters of the groupage solution, a greener way to move freight.
The Sustainable Freight Blog
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Big Win for Sustainability in Freight
Baxter Freight and Nottingham Trent University have been awarded funding for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) focused on sustainability within the logistics sector. This is the next leap forward as
Clean Air Day and the role of logistics
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