With new reporting requirements previously associated with major corporations filtering down to mid-sized enterprises, understanding Scope 3 carbon emissions is no longer optional. It’s essential!

Whilst the relationship between a business and its haulier might seem simple, in today’s regulatory landscape, this isn’t the case. Rather than a simple case of “you have goods, we move them”, the haulage company you work with is no longer just a service provider; they are factored into your own carbon footprint. 

Here is why your haulage company’s exhaust pipes are now your business, and why working with a FORS Gold haulier like Hayward Transport is an important move to support your sustainability strategy. 

To understand the challenge of managing carbon emissions, it’s important to look at how carbon reporting is structured. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol breaks emissions down into three categories:

• Scope 1 refers to direct emissions from sources you own, for example, company vehicles, or boilers.

• Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions from the energy you buy, such as your electricity bill.

• Scope 3 refers to all indirect emissions in your supply chain, both upstream (buying materials) and downstream (getting your products to customers). 

For the majority of manufacturers and distributors, transportation and distribution represents a substantial percentage of their Scope 3 data. When you work with a third party transportation partner, their fuel usage and carbon emissions count as your Scope 3 emissions.

Only recently, detailed carbon reporting was reserved for the largest PLCs in the UK; however, with large corporations under increasing pressure to report and reduce their own Scope 3 emissions figures, they require data from their suppliers. 

For any company that supplies a large retailer or manufacturer, in order to keep your contract, it’s important that you are able to provide information on the carbon footprint of the products you deliver. If you can’t provide this information, or the answer is too high, then you risk losing contracts to competitors who can prove they operate with lower emissions.

In order to maintain contracts to supply large corporations, it’s important that you do what you can to keep your carbon emissions as low as possible. Your choice of haulier is a strategic decision. This means choosing a transportation company that not only works to lower their carbon footprint, but can provide the data to support their efforts.

The best solution is to partner with a FORS Gold haulier. This is the highest standard level of accreditation available in the transportation industry and provides a guarantee of carbon efficiency. 

In order to be awarded with FORS Gold status, haulage companies must demonstrate:

• Proven emissions reduction: Meaningful improvements for fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions must be demonstrated year on year.

• State-of-the-art fleet: Hauliers must invest in efficient vehicles and alternative fuels.

• Data transparency: Gold accreditation requires rigorous performance management to track fuel usage, idling time, and route efficiency.
• Smarter driving: FORS Gold requires drivers that are trained to drive more economically and safely, reducing fuel usage and wear and tear on vehicles.

At Hayward Transport, we have achieved FORS Gold status for six consecutive years, demonstrating our culture of safety, efficiency, and sustainability. While many hauliers achieve the entry level FORS Bronze, as the “People’s Haulier”, we are committed to the highest standard of accreditation. We are always working to lower our emissions, investing in Euro 6 compliant vehicles, performance management systems, and driver training, ensuring the trucks moving your goods are amongst the greenest on UK roads.

Our customers are under increasing pressure to be greener and more transparent, so by maintaining FORS Gold accreditation, we help reduce the carbon headache. When you work with Hayward’s, you gain the peace of mind that your goods are being transported by a fleet that is always working to reduce its environmental impact, helping you meet your own sustainability targets. 

Don’t let Scope 3 be a roadblock. Partner with a FORS Gold haulier.

Need a logistics partner that is as serious about reducing carbon emissions as you are? Contact Hayward Transport today.