ASDA signs up to Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme

Monday 10 October 2011

ASDA has become the latest company to join an industry-led, voluntary scheme to measure and ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions from lorries and vans. Members of the Freight Transport Association's Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme now represent over 50,000 commercial vehicles.

By providing fuel usage, fleet and activity data, ASDA, along with 55 other businesses in the LCRS, will help the logistics sector paint an accurate picture of its own carbon footprint; something that has never been done before.

Chris Hall, National Transport Manager for ASDA, said:

“We continue to drive the focus into producing fewer, friendlier and cheaper miles and are delighted to be involved in this scheme. The opportunity to utilise this scheme to further develop our collaborative relationships in the industry and to set our agenda in relation to fleets and fuels of the future is vitally important.”

Major high street retailers, third party logistics providers and utility companies currently comprise the scheme’s participants. Datasets from each are collected routinely by operators to manage their businesses, so the administrative burden of providing data is minimal. Scheme members commit at a senior director level to participate in the scheme and to have their data independently verified by FTA as part of the reporting process. In the first annual report of the scheme, emissions from the sector were tracked from 2005 to 2009 and participants in the scheme committed collectively to an 8 per cent reduction in the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions by 2015 (compared to 2010 levels). Future annual reports will monitor the progress towards this target, with the next report due in late January.

Simon Chapman, Chief Economist, said:

“It is great to have a heavy hitter like ASDA backing the scheme and it reflects how seriously the industry is taking its role in the carbon reduction agenda, after all, CO2 from freight accounts for a third of all transport emissions.

“Our first report revealed that progress has already been made through driver fuel efficiency training, use of biofuels and increases in vehicle carrying capacity. With fuel now accounting for around 40 per cent of the costs of running a truck, greater fuel efficiency that results in cutting carbon dioxide emissions is a prize every operator should be aiming for.”

While national carbon dioxide reduction targets commit the UK to an absolute cut in carbon dioxide emissions, LCRS focuses on producing less carbon per unit of resource or activity.

Chapman concluded:

“It would be great if the investment being made by industry towards a low carbon future through such measures as alternative fuel, better vehicle technology, telematics and eco-driver training, was matched by support from the policy makers. Government can help by looking at higher capacity trucks, defending double deck trailers against a possible European height limit of 4 metres, making rail freight cheaper and easier to use, restoring rail freight grants and biofuel duty incentives and maintaining a fairer deal on fuel.”

The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme is still open to join for both FTA and non-FTA members and free of charge. For further information, visit www.fta.co.uk/carbonreduction

Notes for editors

1. The 2010 LCRS annual report highlights the early progress that has been made in establishing the scheme, namely:

The putting in place of a robust set of data requirements from scheme participants, which quantifies the carbon dioxide emissions created from fuel used in commercial vehicles (which represent over 90 per cent of all domestic freight transport emissions), as well as introducing a series of business indicators through which carbon efficiency can be measured in the light of changing business conditions.

The establishment of historic trends in carbon dioxide emissions from commercial vehicles operated by scheme participants between 2005 and 2009 to test the proof of the concept of the emissions datasets and normalisers.

The establishment of a series of five logistics efficiency indicators to create a framework around which carbon reduction initiatives can be identified and on which a target for the scheme can be based.

The setting of an activity-based reduction target for the scheme, where participants are collectively committed to reducing emissions by eight per cent by 2015 compared to a 2010 baseline.

2. FTA continues to actively encourage new participants to join the Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme, which is open to any operator with at least one commercial vehicle and is free to join. For an information pack, visit www.fta.co.uk/carbonreduction, call 08717 11 22 22 or email carbon@fta.co.uk

3. The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme First Annual Report can be found on the FTA website at www.fta.co.uk/lcrs

4. For further press information please contact FTA's media team on 01892 552255/01892 552253 or, out of hours, on 07818 450425.

Simon Chapman (FTA Chief Economist), 01892 552274
Rachael Dillon (FTA Climate Change Policy Manager), 01892 552213
Liam Northfield/Jackie Langridge (FTA press office), 01892 552255 or 552253
 

FTA Press Office

01892 552255
press.office@fta.co.uk