Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has been invited to join Scotland’s new Zero Emission Truck Taskforce in recognition of its ongoing work with members as part of its ‘Decarbonisation of the Wholesale Industry’ project.
The taskforce will involve industry leaders from the road haulage, logistics, manufacturing, energy, and finance sectors who will work in partnership to identify and co-design creative and practical solutions to maximising opportunities. It will also tackle any hurdles in relation to technology, charging infrastructure, costs, finance, and operator engagement in the transition to zero-emission trucks.
The collaboration will set out the steps required to enable a swift and just transition to new technologies, identifying where further development is required and exploring new business models.
Consultants Mott MacDonald and KPMG are working with Transport Scotland to support the Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, which will run until March 2023.
SWA chief executive Colin Smith, who is representing the wholesale industry on the taskforce, said: “There’s a lot to take on board as we grapple with how best to achieve zero-emission trucks and it’s our job to help members cut through the myriad information available guide them on the right path to decarbonise their businesses.”
Meanwhile, the SWA is inviting members to get involved in the sub-working groups that are being formed within the taskforce and where the SWA will be active members of each, which range from trials and data to finance and infrastructure,.
The SWA has already shared the findings of the first phase of its ‘Decarbonisation of the Wholesale Sector’ project which focused on our vehicles and fleets, calculating and reporting on the sector’s fleet emissions baseline and producing a fleet emissions roadmap to net zero.
Smith added: “This is an extremely exciting and important time for the SWA and our members as we help shape the future sustainability of our sector and Scotland’s food and drink supply chain.”
