Companies Sign Joint Declaration for Green Freight in Asia

6 December 2011 - Global freight logistics companies, manufacturers, freight carriers and industry associations signed the "Private Sector Declaration on Green Freight in Asia towards a Green Economy" to support green freight initiatives and programs in Asia. National green freight programs reduce fossil fuel dependency, improve air quality and minimize CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change, whilst maintaining economic growth.

The Declaration on Green Freight was announced today at the 6th Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum and Urban Mobility India 2011 Conference in Delhi that was attended by senior transport and environment officials from 22 Asian countries and chaired by the Minister of State for Urban Development, India. The conference outcomes, including the Declaration on Green Freight will contribute to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, with “green economy” as a main theme.

Three global logistics companies, DHL, TNT and UPS, are among the signatories and have a shared interest to reduce fuel costs, minimize carbon footprint, and improve their corporate image. Other signatories include Caux Round Table – Japan, IKEA, Keppel Logistics, Schneider Electric, Taipei Computer Association, Diageo and Tonglit Logistics, and more companies are expected to join.

These companies are also the founding members of the Green Freight Asia Network of companies and associations involved in freight transport in Asia, which will be coordinated by the Sustainable Supply Chain Centre – Asia Pacific (SSCCAP) and the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia). This network will allow for members to share practices and methodologies and facilitate their active participation in the development of national green freight policies and programs.
“The private sector plays a critical role in making freight sector more competitive, efficient and environmentally sustainable, and the Green Freight Asia Network will help to achieve this,” said Kevin Bennett, Director of the SSCCAP.

Sophie Punte, CAI-Asia Executive Director, added “We have seen a rapid development of green freight programs and initiatives across Asia, especially in China, which build on the success of the US SmartWay program. Governments now need the support from the private sector to make these programs effective.”
Björn Hannapel, Senior Expert GoGreen at DHL said “For a globally operating company like DHL it is most important to have aligned approaches regarding green freight programs. That’s why we are engaged in all existing or developing programs (US, Europe and Asia). We are looking forward to working together with our customers, suppliers and even competitors in the Green Freight Asia Network.”

For media queries, please contact: Ritchie Anne Roňo, Communications Officer, center@cai-asia.org