Calls for government to support logistics decarbonisation

Logistics UK has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of his speech at the Conservative Conference, calling for government to support the net zero agenda by progressing on the investment and plans needed to support logistics decarbonisation.
 
In the letter, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, David Wells OBE, expresses the industry’s disappointment regarding the change to the deadline for the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, and highlights the vital role government plays in not only shaping the public conversation, but also in the delivery. The letter also identifies the specific government policies that the industry is urging the Prime Minister to deliver on.
 
Mr Wells comments: “Industry requires urgent progress on the roll out of public chargepoints that are suitable for commercial vehicles, as well as the publication of government’s long-delayed low carbon fuels strategy which is now over nine months late. If the logistics industry is expected to move to net zero technologies within the timeframes set, government must also deliver on its deadlines. Urgent progress of the Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstrator for battery, hydrogen and catenary solutions for HGV decarbonisation is also needed. Without clarity, the logistics sector cannot invest at scale.
 
“Logistics is a highly interconnected system and electrification of the rail network must not be overlooked, nor should the delivery of the promised clean maritime plan. As highlighted in a recent Oxford Economics report, logistics is one of the UK’s essential systems for growth. Net zero is just one of many areas where the logistics industry wants to work in closer collaboration with government as, by putting logistics first, with the right partnerships, regulations and investment, government can supercharge UK GDP by £3.9 billion to £7.9bn per year by 2030.”