Bridgestone acknowledged for carbon emission efforts

Bridgestone’s voluntary efforts to reduce carbon emissions have been praised by the Freight Transport Association. The tyre maker shares that FTA climate change policy manager Rachael Dillon has “welcomed” the work Bridgestone is carrying out, following the Department for Transport’s overall commendation of self-regulation across the sector.

“The FTA welcomes Bridgestone as our Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) industry partner,” she said. “Bridgestone is the first supplier to the logistics sector to back the LCRS, a voluntary initiative to record, report and reduce carbon emissions from freight transport. Its involvement highlights the role that tyre selection and management can play in supporting businesses’ efforts to improve vehicle fuel efficiency.”

Bridgestone is also the sponsor of one category in the Freight Transport Association inaugural LCRS Awards, which were held on 22 May at the Freight Transport Association’s Cutting Carbon, Cutting Costs Conference at the Heritage Motor Museum in Warwickshire. The Bridgestone-sponsored ‘carbon reduction through fuel efficiency’ category was one of four awards presented by former FTA president Stewart Oades.

Meanwhile, the FTA has welcomed the conclusions of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Freight Carbon Review, which were published earlier this month. Based largely on the success of FTA’s Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS), the Government has decided to continue working with industry to improve freight’s carbon performance.

The LCRS was endorsed by the Department for Transport in 2011 and has shown over the last three years that industry is capable of voluntarily recording and reporting carbon emissions without the need for additional tax and regulation. Additionally, the scheme has set a carbon reduction target to reduce the carbon intensity of its freight operations by 8 per cent by 2015 against a 2010 baseline.

“The Freight Carbon Review clearly shows the benefits of an industry-led approach to carbon reduction, which has been successfully demonstrated by the Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme,” stated Dillon. “We welcome the department’s decision to continue to work with industry on carbon reduction rather than introducing regulation. We encourage those who have not already done so to join the LCRS and ensure that a voluntary approach to carbon reduction continues.”