The ever growing pressure which is being applied in the domain of CO2 emissions in the transport sector has led to a group of large shippers and logistics companies launching (last night in Brussels) the Green Freight Europe initiative. GFE intends to be a global project encouraging a reduction in CO2 emissions, but will begin by using a common tool for measuring such emissions within road transport operations.

“Currently, all shippers ask for these figures from their transporters and all the transporters calculate their CO2 emissions in their own way. GFE is proposing a common methodology for the first time, but is not going to stop with just this tool. We are also going to exchange Best Practices and make those technologies  which lead to reduced fuel consumption more visible, along with financial mechanisms giving access to these technologies”, comments Björn Hannappel (Deutsche Post DHL and president of the GFE pilot group).

In concrete terms, the measurement tool will be operational in 2013, but Green Freight Europe intends to attract a maximum of transporters and shippers to participate in the project from now. Amongst initial members are a large number of logistics service providers who are mostly working with subcontractors. This group of transporters is principally looking for ways of reducing fuel consumption and will thus be first in line to acquire less energy-consuming technologies, in particular via grouped purchasing organised either by a 3PL or by a number of companies from amongst them.

The shipper members of GFE are the industry heavyweights such as
Procter & Gamble, Heineken, Dow, AkzoNobel, IKEA, Beiersdorf, Sabic, Sara Lee and Schneider Electric. Other major clients are set to join the ranks of an initiative which may become a standard in Europe.