Currys, Nestlé, and Nike are among 41 companies to sign an open letter to the European Union (EU), which calls for increases in climate targets to help scale the development of zero-emission trucks.
Heineken, PepsiCo, and several haulage businesses have also put their name to the letter calling on the EU to increase climate targets for trucks to help them meet their own green commitments.
In a letter to EU lawmakers, the businesses argue that more ambitious CO2 standards in 2030 and 2040 will lower the costs and accelerate the production of zero-emission trucks at scale.
Via clean transport campaign group, Transport and Environment – known as T&E – the organisations said that truck makers have ambitious voluntary commitments to sell more zero-emission trucks, including those powered by electric and hydrogen.
But, they add, members of the European parliament and EU governments should hike the 2030 CO2 target from the currently proposed -45% to a -65% cut in emissions, which they argue would mean regulatory ambitions are brought at least on par with voluntary ambition levels.
As a result, this would increase the number of green trucks on Europe’s roads in 2030 by more than 150,000 compared to the European Commission’s current proposal.
Archana Jagannathan, chief sustainability officer at PepsiCo Europe, said: “PepsiCo’s ambition to reduce emissions by at least 40% by 2030 and to become net-zero by 2040 largely depends on the decarbonisation 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.”
What the signatory companies want the EU to do:
- Set a clear date for 100% of new trucks to be zero emissions, because they say this will decarbonise the sector by 2050, considering the average lifetime of trucks is around 18 years in Europe
- Make all truck types subject to climate targets to ensure manufacturers ramp up zero-emission vehicle production across all segments. The Commission’s proposal exempted some vehicle types including garbage and construction trucks and some urban delivery trucks, which are often easy to electrify – with benefits for air quality in cities
- Implement EU laws around the roll-out of zero-emission trucks, including mandatory charging points and road toll discounts for electric and hydrogen trucks, as soon as possible.
The letter is signed by: A. P. Moller – Maersk A/S; APL logistics; Asstra Forwarding AG; Avere; Boekestijn Transport; Brightmerge; ChargePoint; Council for Sustainable Logistics; Colruyt; Contargo; Currys; Danfoss; DFDS; DPDHL; European Shippers Council; EV Box; Fixemer Logistics; Forto; Heineken; HMM Co; Integre Trans; Knauf Insulation; Kuehne and Nagel; Meyer & Meyer; Nestlé; Nike; Oatly Group; PepsiCo; Polish Chamber of E-mobility Development; REE Automotive USA; Samskip Multimodal; Schachinger Logistik; SEA Electric; Stolt Tank Containers; University Gustave Eiffel; VAI Capital; van der Wal; Vattenfall; Volta Trucks; Zeus Labs; Zilch Forwarding (formerly Scope3 pty/EmissionsIQ)
[Image credit: Currys]
