Bid to reduce Asia truck emissions

SINGAPORE: Green Freight Asia (GFA), a logistics industry initiative to reduce C02, says trucks in Asia account for 9.0 percent of all road vehicles and 54 percent of all emissions.

GFA wants all carriers to become accredited to enable shippers to make their sourcing decisions on how 'green' is the provider based on GFA Label rankings.

infineon For the carriers, the higher the ranking the more attractive they become to shippers because of their ability to cut their costs.

"We believe the implementation of the GFA label will be a catalyst for change. We can not only improve our businesses and environment, but also how the public perceives our industry," said Stephan Schablinski, CEO of Green Freight Asia.

GFA ran a trial last year across 13 countries in Asia to ensure they had the right processes in place before opening it up to a wider market. Over 30 companies applied including Heineken, IKEA, DHL, Hewlett-Packard, Infineon, UPS and Lenovo and 62 percent are now GFA-qualified.

The organization has now opened its certification process to all companies in a bid to improve trade efficiency: "Shippers will be provided with more efficient access to services from their carriers, with smaller footprints on the environment in which their consumables are being transported. They will also be trading in an environment where they know they are being provided services that are of best practice," explained Schablinski.

Companies can apply via the three GFA assessment partners - BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), TÜV SÜD and TÜV Rheinland. The four-level accreditation has an annual fixed cost and requires a renewal every year to maintain compliance.

"We want the GFA Label to become synonymous with companies and organisations that are committed to adopting innovative and sustainable road freight practices, who are also supportive of the green freight programs and initiatives GFA is driving throughout Asia Pacific," added Schablinski.

BSR works with over 250 member companies to develop sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. TÜV SÜD provides safety testing and inspections, engineering support, management system certification and training solutions worldwide. TÜV Rheinland is an independent inspection service founded more than 140 years ago.