T he United Kingdom is driving a global approach to sustainability in the road freight sector through its Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (SRF).
The centre, a collaboration between Cambridge and Heriot-Watt Universities along with various industry and government bodies, has recently assisted South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Universities of Stellenbosch and Johannesburg to open a similar centre locally.
According to Professor Dave Cebon of the University of Cambridge, this is the third centre of its kind in the world with all three based on the same operating model and concept. The three centres are also all linked – with researchers and academia working closely together to deliver a global approach to sustainability in the road freight sector. Cebon told FTW that in Europe curbing climate change remained a priority.
“But one of the big lessons we have learnt in the past five years of doing research in the United Kingdom on this topic is that we are not a big role player when it comes to carbon emissions,” he said. “The likes of Africa, India and China – considering the number of freight vehicles on the road – are far bigger contributors and the expectation is to see emissions grow substantially going forward.” Cebon said it was clear that taking a single-track approach to carbon emission reduction and only focusing on the United Kingdom would have no real impact when considering the global challenge faced.
“Our realisation was very clear and that is if we are to have an impact on sustainable road freight so far as climate change and global warming are concerned, then we need to work with people in these other geographies and come up with a combined plan that will address the world’s problem. We need a sustainable road freight plan for the world not just for the UK – and for that the developing regions of Africa, China and India need to be part of that discussion.”
Cebon said it was clear that similar centres to the SRF were therefore needed in China, Africa and India, allowing for an eco-system of sorts. He said in China the Smart Freight Vehicle and Green Logistics Centre was up and running, with two universities closely linked to its operations. The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight South Africa (SFR-SA) was the third one to become operational, he added.
“The idea now is to have a fourth centre in India in the future with all four centres then working together as a network. This will allow for the exchange of students and researchers and the sharing of tools and methods, data, problems, challenges and solutions.”
We need a sustainable road freight plan for the world not just for the UK. – Dave Cebon
