How to expand Green Freight programs across Europe and promote collaboration between them – Europe Workshop

Europe presents a unique economic area bound by common regulations on freight transport. These normative frameworks are aimed at leading the way to an efficient and environmentally sustainable global freight sector in Europe.

On 6-7 April 2017, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and Smart Freight Centre (SFC) organized a Europe Workshop on "Green Freight Programs". This event hosted participants from both the public and private sector alongside civil society, aiming to explore the possible ways of expanding green freight programs across Europe and also promoting fruitful collaboration between them. 

During the first day of the Workshop, the discussions revolved around the freight industry, with many participants showcasing their best practices of “greening” their company’s modus operandi. In addition, Ms. Seraphine Haeussling, CCAC Climate Change Programme Officer, highlighted the United Nations CCAC Global Green Freight Action Plan that calls on governments, private sector, civil society, and other actors to work in concert to align and enhance existing green freight efforts, develop and support new green freight programs, and to incorporate black carbon reductions into green freight programs.

The goal of the Global Green Freight Action Plan is to enhance the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement in ways that significantly reduce the climate, health, energy, and cost impacts of freight transport around the world. Full implementation of this Action Plan will shape a more sustainable global freight sector where goods, materials, and trade flows move with the best available technologies and strategies through an efficient, cleaner and greener, multimodal, global freight supply chain. Also, performance data and best practices will be shared and exchanged via green freight programs and in ways that enhance efficiency, cost savings, competitiveness, environmental performance, public health, and economic development.

UN Environment hosts the Secretariat to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Here you can find the link to the CCAC workshop page.