An evolving regulatory landscape and heightened consumer demand for sustainability action has shed light on the growing sustainable transport movement. Currently, transport is one of the largest contributors globally to pollution and carbon emissions. However, rapid innovations in the eco-friendly transportation space paired with organisations’ increasing eagerness to participate in sustainability initiatives could spell the beginning of significant environmental advancements in the freight transportation industry. Explore the benefits of sustainable transportation and find out how Amazon Freight is actively adopting and engaging with different sustainability initiatives.
Understanding sustainable transport
The transport sector, especially in the UK, is a major culprit of carbon emissions. Fuel powered cars produce air pollution by releasing soot and exhaust, and rely on crude oil that harms the environment. A cultural and industrial shift to sustainable transport is critical in order to create a greener future.
What is sustainable transport?
Sustainable transport refers to transportation that actively works to minimise its impact on the environment. Traditional, non-sustainable transport is reliant on fossil fuels that contribute to air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and even habitat fragmentation. On the other hand, sustainable transportation isn’t powered by the planet’s natural resources. Instead, it relies on renewable power sources such as electricity or green hydrogen.
Sustainable transportation examples
Sustainable transport includes no- or low-emission vehicles, public transport, and even active transportation like walking or cycling. Cities around the world are taking measures to encourage sustainable transport uptake by introducing clean air zones (CAZs) or ultra low emissions zones (ULEZs) that discourage high-emissions vehicles from driving through certain areas of a city by enforcing daily tolls.
The growing importance of sustainable transport in freight and logistics
As an industry that relies on a variety of modes of transport, freight and logistics must evaluate its impact on the environment. Logistics plays a crucial role on the global stage and sets the precedent for many other sectors; already, both consumers and key players in the industry are looking to freight and logistics leaders to implement sustainability measures.
Why is sustainable transport important?
Nearly one-third of all the greenhouse gas emissions in the UK are emitted by transport—particularly road vehicles. This is greater than the total agricultural and residential emissions combined. For the UK to achieve its sustainability targets, major reform is needed throughout the entire transportation industry—this begins with implementing sustainable transport.
How can transport be more sustainable?
Electrifying transportation is currently the most accessible, effective way to decarbonise transport, particularly in the freight industry. Particularly in the freight industry, trucks primarily run on diesel fuel, which is refined from crude oil and produces particularly harmful emissions. By integrating electric-powered vehicles into their fleets, freight providers can radically reduce their carbon footprint.
Comparably, green hydrogen is a newcomer to the sustainability landscape. As a relatively recent innovation, its use isn’t yet widespread and major players can be hesitant to adopt it with a lack of long-term case studies. However, green hydrogen is an extremely promising alternative to traditional fuel as it is produced with 99.9% purity and has already proven that it can easily power heavy duty freight vehicles.
Benefits of sustainable transportation
Decreased emissions and smaller carbon footprints
The obvious and most immediate benefit of sustainable transportation is its impact on the environment. Electric vehicles, particularly ones powered by renewable energy, can eliminate almost all of the freight industry’s carbon emissions, future proofing freight vehicles in the process. Relying on renewable energy sources like green hydrogen can also accelerate freight’s decarbonisation journey. Although green hydrogen uptake is still in its infancy, adopting it as a solution now can help freight providers prepare to integrate it more widely as it becomes more mainstream.
Enhanced resilience
Strong sustainability measures can boost resiliency throughout the freight industry. The sustainability revolution is paving the way for a decarbonised future, and companies or sectors that don’t integrate sustainability measures into their operations now will inevitably be left behind. Enhancing environmental measures prepares businesses and whole industries to continue scaling up and to succeed in the long term, particularly as regulations become stricter and non-renewable energy sources are phased out.
Lower costs
Switching to electric batteries and cutting out the use of diesel petrol in their freight trucks provides freight companies with significant operational cost savings and can even offer a better ROI. Electric vehicles typically require less mechanic maintenance than traditional diesel vehicles do, which saves companies money in the long term.
Improved corporate reputation
Consumer demand for sustainability action is higher than ever. Implementing sustainable transport options in freight fleets can improve company reputation and help to attract customers whose values align with improved sustainability. Being an early adopter of these initiatives can enhance long term corporate reputation even further.
The future of sustainable transport in freight
The future of freight is green. As electric vehicle technology and green hydrogen innovation advances, these measures will only become more deeply engrained in the industry. Tighter government regulation and recommendations are making electric vehicles an increasingly affordable freight transportation option—not only for trucks, but also for rail and sea freight.
Enabling sustainable transport with Amazon Freight
Amazon Freight is joining the movement towards a cleaner future for the planet. In 2022, we unveiled a fleet of fully electric heavy goods vehicles in the UK and grew our renewable energy capacity by 8.3 gigawatts (GW). We also grew our use of rail and sea transport by 50% throughout 2023 to reduce our net carbon emissions.
To find out more about making your supply chain greener or how transport can be more sustainable, visit our newsroom. Or, create a free shipper account to start your freight shipping journey now.
