Spotlight on a policy manager... decarbonising logistics  

Edward Jones – Head of Environment Policy, Logistics UK 

With the transition to net zero being one of the biggest concerns for industry, my aim is to come up with an overarching policy plan that fits with member needs and government intentions to reach decarbonisation targets.   

Before joining Logistics UK, I worked at Energy UK where I looked after all large- scale renewable infrastructure across the UK. This included everything from nuclear, offshore wind farms and CCUS, along with the associated policy that is needed to encourage private investment. The challenge is that for every £1 of public investment, we need around £3 of private investment to achieve net zero, so this is a major barrier which both sectors face.  

What has been clear is that there are lots of parallels between the challenges both the energy and logistics sectors share. One of these is policy uncertainty and the need for clarity to move forwards, attract investment and bring about positive changes.    

Having been at Logistics UK for just over a month, so far a lot of my time has been spent trying to meet members, ascertain policy positions on where Logistics UK should stand and what we should and shouldn’t be championing.   

My role is about producing a cohesive plan that fits with our members’ needs, our working groups, and our councils on what the government, or next government, needs to do to decarbonise logistics. At the moment, we’re working on everything from low carbon fuels to large infrastructure challenges to help create and foster an environment for the UK to achieve net zero.  

For example, myself and colleagues are part of the Freight Energy Forum, a partnership between industry and government, which aims to support the freight sector’s transition to net zero by 2050. The work involves looking at energy infrastructure and supply across the whole freight sector including road, rail, maritime and aviation freight, and warehousing and distribution.  

Looking ahead, I would like to see us secure three to five key points in the Conservative Party or Labour Party manifesto. I would like Logistics UK to have fed into the winning party’s manifesto – allowing the party to have the ability to foster innovation, create an attractive investment environment and keep progress advancing to deliver net zero.  

We are calling for decisions on low carbon fuels, since they can offer immediate greenhouse gas emissions savings in the absence of fully electric vehicles. In addition, we are needing clarity on how we achieve the increase in electric vehicles or low carbon vehicles on the road for 2035. Industry is also needing more information on how we move freight domestically around the country and internationally.   

Whilst it’s only been a month, I’m enjoying engaging with members and meeting them at our various working groups and meetings. Another aspect of the role I’m excited about is getting in front of policymakers and being able to argue for the positions we need.   

My ask of members is to be open and flag what their positions are on decarbonisation with us. Whether that’s to do with low carbon fuels or charging infrastructure or catenary as an option. Knowing what members need us to champion helps us know what we need to stand up for.   

Published On: 18/01/2024 14:00:00

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