Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and Baxter Freight have been awarded funding for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) focused on sustainability within the logistics sector.
The funding will allow Baxter Freight to work with leading academics from Nottingham Business School, part of NTU, within the field of supply chains, sustainability, organisational change and marketing, as well as to recruit an associate to work within the organisation.
The logistics and transport sector is essential to the global economy, helping supply chains to keep moving, transporting essential goods around the globe. However, it contributes just over a third of global carbon dioxide emissions, making it the largest-emitting sector in numerous developed countries.
The Nottingham-based freight forwarder is focused on driving sustainable innovations within supply chains and decreasing its impact on the environment. In the UK alone there are around 61,303 road freight businesses who need to evolve their operations to be more sustainable and future ready.
From 2025 Scope 3 reporting, the indirect emissions in a company’s value chain that are typically responsible for 70-90% of an organisation’s carbon footprint (Carbon Trust), will become mandatory in Europe.
However a recent survey by Baxter Freight found that 47% of their customers aren’t ready. The company works very closely with hauliers and customers and has found that many of them are still unsure what Scope 1, 2 and 3 is and how it impacts them and their operations.
Richard Jeggo and Tom Isler, who are leading the KTP at Baxter Freight, are working to support customers and suppliers and the KTP will be key to that.
Tom Isler, Baxter Freight Innovation & Sustainability Manager, says: “Collaborating with NTU and NBS is an opportunity for us to see how we can create clarity for our partners, whether they are suppliers or customers on this complex issue of Scope 1, 2 and 3, net zero and sustainability.
“If we can help even a handful of businesses to not only report on scope 3 but find more sustainable solutions because of it, then we will have already made a positive impact.”
Dr Stuart Carnell, Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Business School, said: “It is inspiring to see an organisation such as Baxter Freight who are redefining sustainability and net-zero within the freight industry and creating a forum for stakeholder interaction as part of this Scope 3 initiative.
“Furthermore, the team at NTU are proud to support and facilitate this initiative as part of this knowledge transfer programme.”
Over the coming months Baxter Freight will be growing their innovation team as they recruit for the new KTP associate.
