Industry Eyes on the European Parliament: Calling for an ambitious EU CO2 emissions standard for heavy-duty vehicles
April 8 - In a significant move towards reinforcing climate action, the European Union Parliament is poised to make a crucial decision on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, regarding the updated CO2 emission performance standards for heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). Therefore, Smart Freight Centre in collaboration with partner organizations convened a broad coalition of transport companies, shippers and industry stakeholders to issue a joint letter, urging the Members of the European Parliament to vote in favour of an agreement on updated CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles.
Smart Freight Centre is one of the companies who advocates to vote in favor of such agreement. In order for the logistics industry to decarbonize, a policy framework is needed that provides the backing and longevity for companies to pursue their transitions. A just transition can be made if transparency for account emissions and standardization is the key foundation. A foundation where Smart Freight Centre played a key-role thus far: providing the GLEC Framework which has led to the new ISO 14083 standard for CO2 calculations and is embedded within the proposed EU legislation CountEmissionsEU.
Several of the companies advocating for the adoption of the EU regulation have already pledged to pursue more ambitious CO2 reduction targets to transition their own fleets due to the associated operational, economic, employment, climate, and competitiveness advantages. The companies note that a strong policy signal from the EU will help rapidly increase the number of zero-emission trucks available for sale over the coming years and thereby bring down technology costs and vehicle prices. This is crucial so that businesses can fulfill their own commitments, decarbonize their vehicle fleets and leverage the global leadership opportunities of transitioning to zero-emission trucks such as social, employment and air quality benefits.
The outcome of Wednesday's vote holds considerable implications for the future trajectory of EU's logistics transport sector and its pivotal role in advancing climate objectives.
Read the open letter here.