3 min read
In a world where climate issues are becoming increasingly urgent, the transport sector faces a monumental challenge. For Speed, purchased transport services account for the company’s largest climate impact. Without logistics flows, the world would come to a halt — so we must find future-proof, climate-smart transports and transport solutions. It’s not an easy task, but there are innovative approaches and bright spots that show a path toward a more sustainable and responsible future.
Transportation Accounts for a Large Share of Emissions.
One part of Speed’s service offering is Transport Management, where we help our customers by procuring, booking, monitoring, and following up on their shipments. Our ambition is always to find and offer the best freight solutions on the market, and we therefore maintain relationships with most carriers. It is within this business area that Speed’s largest climate impact can be traced, and where our greatest climate challenge in the value chain lies. We already offer climate-smart alternatives today, but most transports still run on fossil fuels since the alternatives often come at a higher cost for the customer.
A lot is Happening - and Fast - in the Transport Sector.
The positive news is that major developments are underway across the transport industry, and efforts to reduce the sector’s climate footprint are constant. The development of electric trucks is now accelerating, and we are convinced that the infrastructure will soon evolve as well. Our strategy includes installing solar power systems at our larger warehouse facilities, and we aim to use our self-produced electricity to build a charging infrastructure that supports this transition. Being able to charge a truck while loading or unloading goods is a competitive advantage we hope to offer in the future, if everything falls into place.
We are Working to Find Climate-Smart Transport Options.
To reduce emissions today, we primarily have two paths to follow. The first is to convince customers to choose a climate-smart option. There are practically as many alternatives as there are carriers — anything from climate compensation through tree planting to choosing electric-powered transport solutions. We invest heavily in this work and engage in dialogue with both carriers and customers to find the optimal solution for all parties — including the environment. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, cost is often the deciding factor in which option the customer chooses.
The second path we work intensely on is optimizing the transports — finding smarter ways to operate. This may involve consolidating shipments from multiple customers to reduce the total number of transports and decrease the climate impact per shipment. Another approach is evaluating whether a customer’s shipments can be consolidated into fewer days to reduce the number of dispatches and optimize load capacity. There is much that can be done in this area, and a large part of our work is focused on finding the smartest and most efficient solution.
HL Display Reduces its Climate Footprint by 90%.
HL Display supplies stores and retailers around the world with retail display solutions. Purchased materials account for most of the company’s climate impact, but transport also contributes significantly. HL Display aims to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree target, and a key initiative is finding climate-smart transport solutions. Together with Speed’s Transport Management team, they have reduced emissions from one specific transport flow by 90%!
- This is about shipments from our facility in Sundsvall to the transport hub in Nässjö — a flow that Speed has now redirected for us from road transport to rail. In total, we replace just over 200 trailers per year with rail-based transport, which reduces emissions by 90%! And we’ve also reduced our costs without compromising on quality or precision. It’s truly incredible! For us, having a partner who not only supports us operationally but also helps us reach our climate goals is extremely valuable. We now look forward to reviewing additional transport flows to find more sustainable solutions for those as well, says Jonas Marking, Head of Sustainability at HL Display.
"We've reduced emissions by 90%, which is absolutely fantastic!"
Jonas Marking, Sustainability Manager HL Display
We solve the climate challenge together in the value chain.
Without logistics and transport, the world stops. Of course, we all want environmental progress to happen more frequently and at a faster pace, and we still have a lot of work ahead of us in the transport area. As always, we cannot do it alone — we must find climate-smart transport solutions in close collaboration with both customers and suppliers. It’s a challenge we take on with a positive mindset and strong optimism for the future.
