Companies that are innovating their way to sustainable logistics

Alpha Augmented Services, CHEP, ReturnBear driving environment-friendly supply chains

Its crucial role in the global supply chain is unquestioned, but freight transportation is also one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

The commercial transportation sector — which includes trucks, planes, ships and trains — currently makes up about 15% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Supply chain experts said the transportation sector could soon be the largest contributor to global greenhouse gases. That’s especially true for trucks, which produce 65% of freight’s emissions.

“Growing economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America are expected to triple global demand for freight by 2050, which will double freight’s greenhouse gas emissions,” wrote Suzanne Greene, program manager of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sustainable Supply Chains Initiative, on an MIT climate website. “If we continue with business as usual, freight will become the highest emitting sector by 2050.”