Climate Action 2011-2012
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© Delgoff<br />
The strategy should not be to have less transport, but to have smarter, more environmentally<br />
friendly transport with the ultimate goal for a carbon free transport industry.<br />
122 climateactionprogramme.org<br />
improve their public image, but it is not only the customer/<br />
shipper who can benefit from ‘green logistics’. There are<br />
also distinct advantages for freight forwarding companies<br />
to engage in sustainability practices. Energy savings, for<br />
example, will automatically translate into cost savings. Better<br />
route planning, optimised load factors and reduction of<br />
empty runs are other examples for more environmentally<br />
friendly transport that at the same time contribute to<br />
optimising logistic processes, in the end producing<br />
important savings.<br />
In CLECAT’s Logistics Best Practice Guide we have<br />
distinguished three different kinds of best practices:<br />
those with a focus on technology, on personnel and on<br />
management. While the technology chapter makes it<br />
necessary to make somewhat larger investments, changes in<br />
dealing with staff or the management process might come<br />
relatively cheap. In the space of this article it is impossible<br />
to make an analysis of the results of these methods: we<br />
must urge you to read the document, which is published<br />
on our website.<br />
SpeciaL caSe – horizonTaL<br />
coLLaboraTion<br />
Horizontal collaboration is a rather hot topic today,<br />
especially in shippers’ forums. Enhanced horizontal<br />
collaboration between logistics service providers, i.e.<br />
collaboration between competitors, has some potential<br />
for reducing the number of transport movements and<br />
optimising warehouse use, but there are competition issues<br />
that the regulator seems inclined to severely sanction.<br />
Changes in dealing with staff<br />
or the management process might<br />
come relatively cheap.<br />
In other words, curbing emissions and prohibiting collusion<br />
show a conflicting interest between different regulators<br />
that we need to fully understand and discuss with the<br />
institutions.<br />
hoW can We heLp The SecTor?<br />
We can say that we have likely identified the problems that<br />
need to be resolved. However, we are not convinced that we<br />
already know the solutions. Logistics should be supported<br />
by the necessary transport infrastructure, comprising both<br />
the ‘hardware’ (e.g. TEN-T) and the ‘software’ (e.g. ITS,<br />
Internet of Things, alternative fuels, etc). In promoting<br />
innovation, picking winners at an early stage may backfire<br />
by restricting the scope of the exercise; all promising<br />
technologies should be supported at the beginning, perhaps<br />
by offering tax reliefs. The transport industry, logistics<br />
operators, freight forwarders and their shipper customers will<br />
choose the technology that is most likely to give added value<br />
together with environmental advantages. There is no benefit<br />
in obstinately promoting concepts that have been part of the<br />
discussion of greening the transport sector, but have failed to<br />
procure any practical advantage.<br />
Today, efforts need to focus on finding, implementing<br />
and spreading smarter and more environmentally friendly<br />
transport solutions with the ultimate goal for a carbon free<br />
transport industry.<br />
Niels Beuck is a policy adviser for CLECAT, monitoring EU legislation<br />
in the area of transport, logistics, customs and sustainability. His<br />
specialist topics are aviation, maritime transport, supply-chain<br />
security, sustainable logistics, European law and international and<br />
European relations.<br />
Marco L Sorgetti was born in Turin, lives in Brussels and works<br />
for CLECAT, the EU level logistics, forwarding and customs services<br />
association. An entrepreneur for over 20 years, he has devoted part<br />
of his energies to the sector’s associations. A former member of the<br />
Turin Chamber of Commerce, since 2000 he has worked as consultant,<br />
teacher and manager in logistics and trade facilitation; among other<br />
literature he has published a forwarding and transport manual<br />
(ISBN 88 8353 371 7).<br />
CLECAT, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistic<br />
and Customs Services, has represented the European customs and<br />
logistics sector for more than 50 years. It represents the vast majority<br />
of national organisations of freight forwarders and customs agents<br />
both in the European Union and on a continental level. The most<br />
recent internal enquiry showed that CLECAT represents about 19,000<br />
companies that employ over 1,000,000 people.<br />
Rue du Commerce, 77<br />
1040 Bruxelles, Belgium<br />
Tel: +32 2 503 47 05 | Fax: +32 2 503 47 52<br />
Email: info@clecat.org | Web: www.clecat.org
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