The transportation and freight provider AIT Worldwide Logistics has signed a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050—and said it plans to reach the goal five years early, the company said on Wednesday.
Illinois-based AIT announced it had signed The Climate Pledge, a pollution-cutting plan co-founded by mega-retailer Amazon and climate activism group Global Optimism that has now been signed by nearly 400 companies across 34 countries.
Other supply chain service providers that have also signed the deal include the cold storage giant Lineage Logistics, logistics solutions provider Omni Logistics, and transportation tech firm Flock Freight.
As a signatory to the plan, AIT agrees to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis and to implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies. The company also agrees to neutralize any remaining emissions with offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions.
In addition to those steps, the company said it aims to meet the goal by 2035, five years ahead of the stated deadline. It will do that by following its own environmental sustainability initiatives, developed in alignment with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Those initiatives include overseeing AIT’s own emissions, waste, and energy management processes and programs, including a companywide commitment to recycling and paper reduction. Additionally, AIT uses its transportation management system to track and measure carbon dioxide emissions down to the shipment level.
“AIT is proud to reinforce our commitment to sustainability and join a community that will share knowledge, ideas, and best practices to combat climate change,” AIT Executive Vice President and CIO, Ray Fennelly, said in a release. “As a signatory of The Climate Pledge, we look forward to taking collective action to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, five years ahead of the pledge’s 2040 target. This goal not only aligns with our core values but will also create a better planet for our teammates, customers, partners, and the communities where we live and work—for generations to come.”
