Leading global companies advocate for higher CO2 standards for trucks in the European Union
Amsterdam, 26 June 2023 – A letter proposing stricter CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles has been signed by 41 companies, including Nike, PepsiCo and Heineken to urge EU lawmakers to make draft targets more ambitious to drive the uptake of zero-emission trucks.
Smart Freight Centre, together with our partners, Transport & Environment, Climate Group, CALSTART and the European Clean Trucking Alliance have urged global leading companies to sign this letter that has been sent to EU lawmakers.
The letter submitted by leading global companies emphasizes key areas of concern. Firstly, it calls for an upward revision of the 2030 CO2 target, advocating for a more ambitious reduction in emissions from the currently proposed -45% to a -65%. This significant increase in the target aims to facilitate the entry of an additional 150,000 zero-emission trucks into the market. Secondly, the letter also urges a broadening of the regulatory scope to encompass all types of trucks within the climate targets. Lastly, the companies emphasize the necessity of a steadfast commitment to achieving 100% zero-emission trucks in the long run. This ambitious objective reflects their determination to drive sustainable practices and significantly reduce the environmental impact of the trucking sector.
For more information on the letter, read the news article of Transport & Environment, one of Smart Freight Centre’s partners and Europe’s leading clean transport campaign group. Moreover, see the reporting of the Financial Times regarding the letter.
Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Europe, Archana Jagannathan, also signatory of the letter, showed her ambition for the letter and said the following:
“PepsiCo’s ambition to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030 and to become net-zero by 2040 largely depends on the decarbonization efforts of our value chain partners, which includes third party logistics. Therefore, the transition towards an affordable and emission-free movement of goods in Europe is our shared responsibility. We urge policymakers in Brussels to set more ambitious CO2 standards for trucks as it is not only a critical step towards achieving the EU’s climate neutrality goals but also a strategic move for the success of our industry.”
Kenny Kristensen, Global Head of Energy Transition Execution, Maersk Landside Transportation also said the following in regard to the letter:
“A.P. Moller-Maersk is fully committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 across all of our business. Doing so requires significant investments and we believe that committing to a 2035 end year for fossil-fuel powered vehicles purchases brings us closer to achieving our emission targets and thus helping our customers reduce their greenhouse gas footprint. But driving the energy transition of road freight cannot be done only by leading companies such as Maersk and many of our highly valued customers and logistics partners. More action is needed from regulators, business and consumers and we recommend all policies to set strong demand signals for the industry to accelerate the energy transition.”
The letter has been sent to EU lawmakers and presently, the draft standards are under deliberation by EU environment ministers and the European Parliament, who are expected to reach a consensus on the final regulation in the early months of the following year.
See below all the companies that have signed the letter:
