The Road Freight Association (RFA) is in the process of creating a green transport working group as part of its strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of trucking. According to sustainability expert Liesl de Wet, the Department of Transport (DoT) committed the industry to reducing its emissions by 5% by 2050. “The South African government has committed to a 34% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020 and a 42% reduction by 2025,” said De Wet. South Africa, currently ranked 14th in the world in terms of emissions, needs to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in its energy and transport sectors – the two biggest GHG contributors in the economy. De Wet said the targets set by government were ambitious. The DoT launched its Green Transport Strategy at the end of last year, indicating that it would achieve its 5% reduction target by switching to cleaner fuels and adopting new technologies such as electric vehicles. It would also shift freight from road to rail with Transnet aiming to capture 80% of long haul transportation in the future. De Wet said having taken note of these commitments, the RFA was creating this technical group which would be a forum to discuss, understand and workshop the various alternatives for a greener trucking industry. “As an industry we have to know what our baseline and emissions are. The legislation net is closing in tightly and quickly,” said De Wet. “The days of not having this information readily available in an organisation are long gone.” She said while efforts were already under way in most companies to reduce GHG, the fact remained that the sector needed to do more if it was going to meet the DoT’s 5% target. “The working group will look at what the next steps should be. It will also investigate new technologies and see if they can be implemented in South Africa – and how we can leapfrog using new technology.” De Wet said at present there was a concerted effort to reduce emissions, but the reality was that the industry remained heavily reliant on fossil fuels with limited other options available. Cleaner fuel for trucks was simply not available as yet while biogas was not even on the table. “In terms of electric vehicles, our roads are not geared for electric trucks and that is not really an option at present.” Government plans such as restricting the operating hours of trucks or re-introducing permits would increase cost for both operators and consumers, said De Wet. “We are calling on the RFA members to join the working group and become a part of the discussion on how we can improve our sustainability as an industry.”
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The working group will investigate new technologies and see if they can be implemented in South Africa. – Liesl de Wet
