The 50th annual Earth Day celebration is quickly approaching on April 22! To celebrate this milestone, we sat down with Alexis Bateman and Suzanne Greene from MIT’s Sustainable Supply Chains initiative to discuss the importance of freight transportation in making a positive impact on sustainability as well as the current state of the transportation sector. From measuring your GHG footprint to creating some new and innovative carbon offset programs, the duo offers pragmatic advice for improving your company’s transportation sustainability efforts. Plus, they address the pros and cons of pandemics like COVID-19 on green supply chain initiatives. To wrap things up, Inam Iyoob joins Chris Caplice for the latest North American truckload market rate trends and forecast powered by FMIC. 

[2:07] To learn more about how the Brundtland Commission defines sustainability, click here: https://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-development

[7:38] Download a copy of the Mission Possible: Reaching net-zero carbon emissions from harder-to-abate sectors by mid-century report from the Energy Transitions Commission website: http://www.energy-transitions.org/mission-possible

[14:54] Learn more about Josué Velázquez Martínez’ “Green Button Project” here: https://sustainablelogistics.mit.edu/green-button-project-consumer-preference-for-green-last-mile-home-delivery/ 

[15:47] Take a look at the Walmart study “The Emissions Implications of Modern Retailing: Omnichannel vs. Stores and Online Pure-Plays” here: https://cdn.corporate.walmart.com/00/5a/3c20743a4f0db2d00c452aebea95/omni-channel-emissions-modeling-whitepaperfinal04182017.pdf

[16:28] To learn more about the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) framework for measuring your GHG footprint, visit their website: https://www.smartfreightcentre.org/en/how-to-implement-items/what-is-glec-framework/58/ 

[27:51] Get a preview of Suzanne Greene’s “Carbon offsets for freight transport decarbonization” article in Nature Sustainability here: https://www.suzanne.mit.edu/transport-carbon-offsets