a guide to achieving sustainable transportation

‘Sustainable transportation’ refers to safe modes of transportation that have a low impact on the environment. You’ll often see the term ‘green transportation’ too. Where possible, this type of transportation tends to use renewable energy, rather than coal or other fossil fuels that can harm the Earth.

Not all forms of transportation have to use an energy source to be sustainable, however, Cycling is one environmentally-friendly form of transportation that doesn’t require any energy other than that of the human using the bicycle.

Reflect on the balance between humans, transport and the environment

Sustainable transportation entails a healthy balance between humans, transportation and natural systems. To make transportation sustainable, city roads and streets must become accessible to everyone. Naturally, consideration should also be directed towards the environment, which should always remain as close to how it is without transportation or urban structures as possible (or at least experience minimal impact).

Develop a framework to guide implementation and updates

Three guiding elements sit at the core of sustainable transport: economic, environmental and social considerations. This trio should form the basis of a framework to plan, implement and maintain a sustainable system:

• economic: making the cost of transportation affordable for everyone, including residents who have a lower income;
• social: the development of safe, secure and accessible mobility choices for people, regardless of their gender, age or physical abilities;
• environmental: creating solutions that decrease emissions and pollution, and protect the environment.

Use time as a milestone to work towards sustainable transportation goals

Making transport sustainable will require setting a timeframe to track and evaluate progress. It also means dispensing with vague notions such as ‘near future’ and ‘soon’. Whether it’s hours, months or seasons, projects should have a specific starting point and ending one so that actors involved in sustainable transportation projects can measure changes and determine whether they’re moving closer towards the goals of the project.

Low carbon vehicles

To make deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions from transport, a reduction in the carbon dioxide intensity of travel is necessary. The materialisation of COVID-19 may have had an impact on travel and reduced it, but otherwise, such a reduction would have been unlikely, so technological change is essential. Improving the fuel efficiency of conventional engines and then gradually introducing alternative engines is one solution.

Congestion charges

Managing congestion is a crucial part of implementing policies for sustainable transportation infrastructure. Charges can bring congestion down to more efficient levels. The question is whether users will accept charges. The cost of running such a scheme must also be considered. These charges can have bigger financial impacts when it comes to planning where to place crucial business facilities, such as between warehouses and factories.

Investment in high-speed rail

Investment in high-speed rail transport is likely to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and can compete strongly with transportation by car, especially where traffic is dense enough, which is for journeys up to around 1,000 km, such as between major centres of population.

As well as the cost of construction of a high-speed railway line, however, is the issue of the level of impact. The reduction could only be small, and it may take some decades for the existence of the line to compensate for the emissions construction itself has generated.

Sustainable transport offers all sorts of beneficial impacts for society.

It reduces carbon footprint

Modes of transport such as walking or cycling have virtually zero environmental impact because they don’t emit greenhouses gases, use energy or create pollution such as noise or air pollution. Public transportation can decrease the amount of traffic on the roads, which leads to fewer emissions per passenger mile than single-occupancy vehicles.

It creates safer transportation

Sustainable public transportation is a lot safer than travelling into the city in a privately owned vehicle. You’re much less likely to get involved in a crash. Unfortunately, not driving to some locations isn’t an option for some

It lowers congestion levels

Sustainable transport creates fewer bottlenecks because there are fewer private and commercial, such as trucks and cars on the road. Even in more metropolitan locations, people can reach their destinations faster. More open roads and areas will also help to conserve the natural ecosystem better.

It promotes health and well being

Lower emission levels and less pollution can help to promote better health. Many people live in areas in which levels exceed legal limits. If more people used public transport, the levels of pollution could drop dramatically. People would be able to breathe easier and live longer. Incidentally, studies also show that people who live in walkable communities are happier. That’s understandable. Who doesn’t like to breathe in fresh air first thing in the morning?

When people use sustainable modes of transportation such as walking and cycling, they can improve their health naturally because they’re taking exercise. So not only does sustainable transport benefit the health of individuals but also contributes to that of the larger local community.

It bridges gaps in society by creating opportunities

Making transport more sustainable can bridge gaps by creating opportunities. More affordable transport creates more mobility. People have more access to jobs and to education. This brings us onto the subject of the benefits for the economy.

Of course, just as citizens and society benefit from the availability and provision of sustainable transport, the economy benefits too.

Sustainable transportation creates jobs

Often, investment in sustainable transportation projects creates jobs as well. Building infrastructure, finding and forming alternatives to diesel-fuelled vehicles, and employing people to operate and manage sustainable forms of transport all generate job opportunities for people who may need them desperately. Sustainable transportation development is also highly inclusive since it calls on the skills of designers, construction workers, maintenance workers and a wide range of other professionals.

Sustainable transportation saves money

Investing in sustainable transportation is expensive at the start, in the long run, it can transform into savings for the economy and for the citizens. Building roads, creating the right infrastructure for transport systems and buying buses all cost money. Maintaining roads, however, can cost more than maintaining systems.

Employers and sustainable transportation

Employers who encourage employees to use sustainable transportation can reap a range of benefits from doing so. These include:

• increased productivity;
• lower turnover rates and less absenteeism: the commute and lack of availability of public transport can persuade employees not to come to work;
• lower fuel costs;
• a safer working environment: employers should promote the use of sustainable transportation because it can make the workplace safer, and ultimately, it helps to improve the business’s bottom line.

Shorter waiting times for loading and unloading, better use of trucks and the use of alternative forms of fuel are all more obvious ways logistic operators and departments can contribute to a more sustainable way of performing their duties. They do this by decreasing CO2 emissions and the consumption of fossil raw materials around road transport freight services.

There is, however, more these agents could do. They must address certain challenges such as:

• transparency regarding emissions or employee concerns about the value chain;
• dovetailing of sustainability and corporate strategy;
• under-ambitious targets that have no long-term horizon;
• sketchy implementation of the corresponding initiatives to those targets.

Tackling these challenges could go further towards operating more sustainably.

Operating more sustainably

We don’t just help our customers to make their own operations more sustainable when they buy our products, however; we’ve been working hard on enhancing the levels of sustainability in our own operations, too.

Measures we’ve taken in this regard include;

• cutting our emissions by shipping in larger quantities;
• switching to renewable gas and electricity at our European site in the Netherlands to lower our emissions;
• and amalgamation of some of our UK premises into a larger, more sustainable site.

Our first ESG report has highlighted the company’s need to transition to zero emissions more swiftly. As a result, we intend to replace part of our fleet, including forklifts, with electric or hybrid vehicles. To replace 10% is our goal in 2023. We’ll also be conducting driver training to ensure the behaviours of the company’s drivers minimise emissions.

We mentioned above our switch to renewable gas and electricity at our European site in the Netherlands. In 2023, our goal will be to procure 100% renewable energy for our sites and operations.

As part of our move towards greater sustainability, we’ll also be looking at our supply chain. We’ll be analysing the sustainability maturity of our suppliers and will be working with them to reduce emissions.

Sustainable transportation can work towards a better future, offering benefits for citizens, the economy and, of course, the planet. If you’d like to find out more about our solutions, which can help you to operate more sustainably, contact us. We’ll be happy to help you choose the right loading system for your business.