On the Road – Logistics UK’s CEO highlights that decarbonisation must strengthen economic growth

Visit to DHL operations at Heathrow

Mr Fletcher visited Heathrow Airport, where he viewed DHL’s operations and later met with Nigel Milton, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer at the airport to discuss its priorities for aviation, air cargo and connection to the wider logistics system.

SMMT’s electrified parliamentary reception

Logistics UK CEO Ben Fletcher attended the SMMT Electrified Parliamentary Reception to discuss the decarbonisation transition the logistics sector is undergoing, stressing that it must strengthen economic growth, not constrain it. Logistics UK works closely with the SMMT, particularly on policy around the transition to zero-emission vans and HGVs.

Transport Minister Keir Mather, Justin Madders MP and SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes OBE all spoke at the event.

Energy UK’s Electrifying Growth conference

Mr Fletcher was part of a panel at Energy UK’s Electrifying Growth conference to talk about how decarbonisation ambitions must support growth and how businesses rely on the right economic and infrastructure conditions to make investments viable.

Logistics UK’s research in summer 2025 indicated the scale of the challenge involved in decarbonisation, highlighting that decarbonising UK road freight alone will require 85% of the UK’s nuclear capacity.

Mr Fletcher said: “The logistics sector is wholly committed to decarbonising, and we are working closely with the government and speaking to our members to understand what needs to be in place to enable this transition.

“These visits were a great opportunity to learn more from the sector about how it is addressing challenges and coming up with innovative solutions.

“We are very clear that the transition cannot drive up costs for logistics, as it is the backbone of all sectors: what increases costs for logistics increases costs for everything and adds to the cost of living for us all.”