Redefining Sustainable Logistics in Europe and Beyond

Global trade is the engine of the modern economy and a growing driver of emissions. Today, the movement of goods accounts for around 10% of global CO₂ emissions¹, placing supply chains at the centre of the decarbonisation challenge.

As demand rises and networks become more complex, sustainability is no longer optional. It is reshaping how goods are moved, how supply chains are designed and how performance is measured.

This shift is advancing in the UK and Europe, where regulation, investment and customer expectations are accelerating change. Against this backdrop, we are scaling practical solutions to decarbonise trade at pace and deliver measurable impact across global supply chains.

Embedding Sustainability into Supply Chains

The most significant shift in logistics is not a single technology or initiative but the move toward fully integrated, end-to-end supply chain design.

As supply chains stretch across borders, emissions cannot be addressed in isolation, and businesses increasingly need solutions that connect origin, port operations, inland transport and final delivery into a single, optimised system.

This is driving the adoption of approaches like EcoRoute: our suite of solutions to help businesses optimise supply chain performance while reducing emissions. The result is a more strategic approach to logistics, where sustainability is designed in from the outset, not applied retrospectively.

At the same time, targeted regional interventions are delivering immediate impact. In the UK, our Modal Shift Programme has increased rail freight’s share at Southampton from 21% to over 30%, removing more than 200,000 truck journeys from the road network.

Together, these approaches demonstrate how regional optimisation can support global decarbonisation and strengthen both efficiency and resilience across interconnected supply chains.

From Carbon Targets to Measurable Action

The conversation around sustainability is no longer one of ambition, but of accountability. Organisations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate real, auditable emissions reductions, particularly across their complex Scope 3 supply chains.

This is accelerating the adoption of carbon insetting as a practical, scalable solution. Our Carbon Inset Programme, alongside Insetify and Container Terminal Inset Certificates, enables customers to invest directly in emissions reductions within their own logistics networks, creating a clear, traceable link between action and impact.

These solutions are already delivering results. We have helped customers achieve more than 160,000 tonnes of CO₂e savings across UK supply chains in the last three years, combining modal shift, alternative fuels, electrification and insetting initiatives.

More than 250,000 TEUs of cargo are now registered for our Carbon Inset Programme, showing that demand for credible, transparent decarbonisation solutions is accelerating. A wider shift from commitments to measurable performance is being reflected across the industry.

Decarbonising Freight at Scale

Road freight remains one of the most complex challenges in logistics decarbonisation, particularly across the UK and Europe where it underpins domestic supply chains. Across Europe, road transport accounts for around 73% of transport emissions², highlighting both the scale of the challenge and the opportunity for change.

Our approach is focused on delivering immediate impact while building scalable long-term solutions.

Our Low Carbon Truck Programme, with more than 1,500 vehicles registered, is supporting the transition to lower-carbon fuels such as HVO, reducing emissions today without compromising operational performance. At the same time, our Electric Vehicle Introduction and Transition Accelerator (EVITA) trial is accelerating the transition to zero-emission freight by enabling operators to trial electric heavy goods vehicles in real-world conditions.

Together, these initiatives reflect a pragmatic pathway to decarbonisation: one that combines near-term emissions reductions with long-term transformation.

Optimising Freight Flows in a Connected World

Beyond decarbonisation, efficiency remains fundamental to more sustainable logistics.
Global freight demand is expected to continue rising, increasing pressure on infrastructure, capacity and emissions performance. Reducing inefficiencies such as empty miles, fragmented routing and limited visibility is critical to meeting both commercial and environmental objectives.

Through our integrated network of ports, terminals and inland logistics, we are enabling more connected, data-driven supply chains, which in turn helps our customers optimise the movement of goods from origin to destination.

Across the UK and Europe, continued investment in infrastructure and terminal capability is strengthening this approach. Our future-proof solutions ensure regional networks can support global trade while operating more efficiently and sustainably.

Collaboration Across Borders and Value Chains

Delivering sustainable logistics at scale requires collaboration.

Global supply chains span multiple partners, regions and transport modes, making collective action essential. Increasingly, customers are working more closely with logistics providers to align on sustainability goals and co-invest in the solutions needed to achieve them.

Our global network, which spans more than 75 countries and enables around 9% of global containerised trade, positions us to support this coordination at scale, connecting regional innovation with international supply chain transformation.

As sustainability becomes a core requirement, collaboration across the value chain will be the key to unlocking meaningful, long-term progress.

From Regional Progress to Global Impact

The UK and Europe are emerging as proving grounds for the next generation of sustainable logistics solutions, and through integrated routing, modal shift, carbon insetting and electrification, we are demonstrating what scalable decarbonisation looks like in practice. The opportunity and responsibility is now to extend this progress across global supply chains.

By connecting regional innovation with international trade flows, logistics can move beyond incremental change toward a more fundamental transformation in how goods are moved around the world.

Because ultimately, the future of logistics will be defined not only by efficiency and resilience, but by the ability to deliver sustainable trade at scale. Find out more about our commitment to being a world leader in sustainability.

¹ ICCT (International Council on Clean Transportation), Global freight transport emissions
² European Environment Agency (EEA), Greenhouse gas emissions from transport