Digital freight network Convoy aims to prevent 3.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from trucking in 2022, the company said Tuesday in its second sustainability report. The Seattle-based company has targeted reducing empty miles as the main strategy to achieve this goal.
From Convoy’s founding in 2015 through the end of 2021, it prevented more than 7 million pounds of carbon emissions from being released, according to the Tuesday report. About 2.8 million of those 7 million pounds of carbon emissions were eliminated in 2021, Dan Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Convoy, said in a statement.
“At Convoy, we believe reducing carbon emissions in the freight industry is a critical step in addressing climate change today,” Jennifer Wong, head of sustainability at Convoy, said in a release. “The path to accomplishing this goal is rooted in collaboration, and we’re looking forward to the progress that we can make together with our shipper customers, our network of 400,000 carriers and our partners in creating a more efficient trucking infrastructure that benefits all of our businesses and the planet.”
In 2021, Convoy:
- Joined The Climate Pledge and committed to reaching net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.
- Partnered with the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council to support Convoy’s Supplier Diversity Program and help minority-owned and women-owned trucking businesses access freight.
- Joined the United Nations Global Compact to support the development, implementation and disclosure of responsible business practices.
- Recertified as an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner for the fifth year, committing Convoy to measure, benchmark and track the company’s efforts to increase efficiency and fuel economy in trucking.
Convoy already purchases carbon credits to offset emissions from its scope 1 (direct), scope 2 (indirect) and scope 3 (supply chain) emissions. Now, it aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 by drastically reducing emissions and offsetting the rest.
Reducing empty miles
It’s widely known that Convoy’s motto on sustainability is to reduce empty miles as much as possible. Empty miles result in excess emissions, fuel usage, costs and wasted unpaid time for drivers.
Reducing empty miles and improving efficiency are two major ways the trucking industry can lower greenhouse gas emissions immediately as sustainable fuels start to become more available and affordable.
Trucks drive empty 35% of the time, resulting in 87 million metric tons of unnecessary carbon emissions annually, Convoy said. But Convoy’s carriers can reduce their empty miles by 45% by using its Automated Reloads program.
“At Convoy, we’re committed to doing our part to eliminate wasted time and carbon emissions in the trucking industry,” Lewis said. “When we started Convoy, we didn’t know exactly how to identify and measure waste reduction in the industry, but we made learning that a priority. Today we’re leading conversations about increased efficiency and reduced waste. The industry is turning a corner and, working with like minded partners, we can deliver sustainable freight.”
WATCH: What fueled the sustainability fire at Convoy?
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