Net zero: the logistics industry’s impossible dream?

The UK has pledged to reach net zero by 2050 – but is falling behind on progress to meet its goal.

Many important and worthwhile steps have been taken across industries to decarbonise and reduce environmental impacts, meaning that greenhouse gas emissions in the UK today are less than half of what they were in 1990.

And yet reaching ‘net zero’ – where we take as much of these planet-warming gases out of the atmosphere as we put in – is still a long way off.

In logistics, we have taken great strides, leading the transition to green technologies and embracing innovative new ways of working that reduce environmental impacts.

But it is not enough; we need to do more – and quickly.

UK progress to Net Zero 2050

Is the UK on track to reach its self-imposed yet legally-binding target to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050? The short answer is: no.

It isn’t even currently on course to meet the target of a 68% reduction on 1990 levels by 2030 that was announced by then prime minister Boris Johnson at the COP26 UN climate conference in Glasgow in 2021.

According to the Climate Change Committee’s June 2023 report to Parliament: “The Net Zero target was legislated in 2019, but there remains a lack of urgency over its delivery. The Net Zero transition is scheduled to take around three decades, but to do so requires a sustained high intensity of action.”

In June 2023, the Government's independent adviser, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), warned of "worryingly slow" progress. It said confidence that the UK would meet emissions targets in the 2030s had "markedly declined" from a year earlier.

The role of the logistics industry in reaching Net Zero

Logistics is one of the UK’s largest economic sectors, creating good jobs that require the use of highly technical skills and driving growth across the nations by underpinning all other economic sectors.

In this context, our weight of responsibility in helping the UK to reach Net Zero is huge.

Among the improvements already made by the sector are:

• An increase in low or zero emissions, fuel-efficient fleet vehicles, including electric vehicles
• Advanced route planning software and AI-powered systems to optimise delivery route and schedule efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and lowering emissions
• Training of drivers in ‘good’ driving behaviours to save fuel and reduce emissions
• Increased backloading to improve efficiency and prevent the unnecessary transport of ‘air’ or free space
• More focus on ethical sourcing of raw materials and the human impact of the extended supply chain, helping to ensure fair trading and prevention of modern slavery
• New warehouses designed to enhanced environmental sustainability standards
• Increased use of sustainable packaging, including recyclable, compostable and biodegradable items. Inbound packaging reused in outbound packaging
• Efficient delivery packing through limiting fillers, right-sizing boxes and shipping containers, and grouping orders together
• Enhanced collaboration between supply chain partners to share knowledge, resources and best practice, furthering the collective cause

However, there remains much more work to be done.

The route to net zero

Depending on where they start from, the pathway to net zero is more challenging for some businesses than others, but the good news is that sustainability is an area in which small changes really can make a big difference.

What’s more, having committed to this direction of travel, businesses can take comfort from knowing everything they do contributes to the collective effort.

And any positive changes will be welcomed by clients, customers and supply chain partners who are all increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment and keen to support initiatives that seek to reverse the damage already done.

Reaching net zero: 10 questions to ask right now

Where does your business currently sit on its journey to net zero? Here are 10 questions you might want to ask:

  #1  What are your most material environmental impacts?
  #2  Have you got a detailed action plan for how you are going to tackle each of these environmental impacts that outlines timeframes, responsibilities and resources?
  #3  What are the ‘quick wins’ that would make an immediate impact within your business?
  #4  Which areas are going to be more difficult to tackle, and require more of a journey to achieve?
  #5  Are your business objectives aligned with sustainability targets? If not, why not?
  #6  What do your customers and other key stakeholders expect from you with regards to sustainability?
  #7  What is the scope of your supply chain and what parts of it are within your sphere of control?
  #8  What opportunities do you have to collaborate with your suppliers and in the wider industry on sustainability objectives?
  #9  Do you currently publish your targets on your website and/or otherwise communicate them to customers and stakeholders?
  #10  What measures and rewards do you have in place to manage employee behaviours in support of more sustainable operations?

Logistics UK has launched its Route to Net Zero campaign to help the industry identify what it needs to achieve net zero as quickly as possible, and to encourage businesses to join together in pursuit of a common goal. Its information hub has a wealth of useful resources designed to support organisations in reaching their net zero targets.