Sustainability, successful ESG experiences and more

The Sustainable Transport Forum, which has already become a reference when it comes to ESG for transport, logistics and mobility companies, was one of the highlights of Fenatran, the largest transport fair in Latin America.

The Sustainable Transport Forum – Cargo and Logistics, held on November 9, as part of the Content Arena program of the 23rd International Cargo Transport Exhibition – Fenatran, was a success. Around 350 people followed the discussions on ESG strategies (environment, social responsibility and governance) and the cases of the main players in the cargo transport and logistics market.

Christopher Podgorski, President & CEO of Scania Latin America, presented the panel on “The advantages of ESG”. The executive began his presentation recalling that “we are on the verge of a climate emergency” and that companies, organizations and citizens have a responsibility to do their part to avoid it. For Podgorski, ESG only brings advantages. “Energy efficiency and the correct use of natural resources bring significant savings to companies.”

“It is important to have a climate agenda, but also a social one, with zero tolerance for situations like slave labor and child prostitution, for example. Governance is fundamental when deciding how to make changes within companies”, he underlined. Since 2016, Scania has committed to ESG. “Decarbonizing the transport sector is not an option, but a necessity. The sector is responsible for 14% of global emissions. On this journey, partnerships are fundamental, as well as public policies that guide society.”

Julia Ambrosano, infrastructure coordinator at the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), a non-profit organization focused on promoting large-scale investments in the low-carbon economy, addressed the theme “Applied ESG”. “We take advantage of the mitigation of greenhouse gases to bring investments in climate actions. There are ways to finance the sector in a clean way”, he informed. CBI works through the development of the Climate Bonds standard and certification scheme, policy engagement and market intelligence work.

In the panel “Technologies for sustainable transport”, representatives from Eaton, Prometeon, Solistica and Fras-Le brought innovations and trends that are emerging in this area. “We work to reduce the environmental impact of tire production. We recently launched the first tire for electric vehicles in partnership with an automaker. We are always investing in innovation and connectivity, and we have our innovation hub at the Santo André plant”, said Luis Mari, Prometeon’s research & development director for the Americas.

Henrique Uhl, Eaton’s product strategy manager, said that 60% of Eaton’s global revenue comes from electrification. “We develop customized solutions for Brazil. Electrification is a long-term solution. But there are many actions that we can do right now. For example, an automated transmission is more efficient and less polluting and, in addition to being cheaper, allows for fuel savings and a lower operating cost,” he said.

Alexandre Casaril, director of engineering and OEM sales at Fras-Le, highlighted that composite materials are part of the future of the automotive industry. The Fras-Le smart composites solution replaces the steel used in auto parts with smart alloys, with different chemical and physical properties, which modify and improve the structure of the product. “These materials bring many advantages such as weight reduction, which has a direct impact on fuel consumption and the emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere. There are still challenges such as the recyclability of these products, but we continually invest in R&D to overcome them”, he commented.

Kleber Fernandes, director of quality, HSE and sustainability Brazil at Solistica, presented the main items in which the company operates in the field of sustainability: purchase of carbon credits, consolidation of loads (fewer vehicles in circulation means less emissions), vegetable curtain, Arla 32 and expansion of the electric fleet. “We manage water and energy consumption, reduce waste and qualify our suppliers”, he emphasized.

SUCCESSFUL EXPERIENCES

In the panel on “Cases and good practices”, Ana Paula Damaceno Monteiro, Grupo Boticário’s transport manager, highlighted the importance of partnerships, mainly between transporters and shippers to create an ecosystem truly engaged in ESG practices. “We usually say that transporting everyone transports. We want more, we want to operate with partners who have the same objective and the same enthusiasm that we have in our projects”, he said. The group’s goal is to reduce the emission of 430 tons of CO² by 2023.

Hélio Matias, vice-president of Ambipar, said that the company specializes in waste management and has an emergency center involving chemical products. “We have teams in 150 bases to respond to accidents and mitigate the negative effects on the environment. We believe in prevention and proactivity to avoid this type of occurrence. We transform waste so that it returns to the production chain. An example is the Ecossolo, which has 15% more productivity than normal soil”, he detailed.

Osni Roman, president of Coopercarga, listed the company’s various actions related to sustainability. “We invested heavily in electric vehicles, powered by CNG and biomethane, double decks, in addition to seeking opportunities with our customers to neutralize our routes through partnerships with Green Farm and VGP, in terms of carbon dioxide compensation. I also cannot fail to mention our photovoltaic plant, in Concórdia (SC), which supplies all the electricity consumed by our units in Santa Catarina. And the actions aimed at the social pillar and that impact the environment as well, such as the ‘Mulheres no Volante’ project, in the operation with O Boticário.”

Solon Barrios, vice president of transport for DHL in Brazil, announced that the company will open its first solar farm next year, it has not yet been defined whether the venture will be in São Paulo or Minas Gerais. “We are committed to sustainability. We have invested in fleet electrification since 2018,” he said. DHL’s partnership with Grupo Boticário aims to zero emissions in deliveries by the beauty retailer to its stores in São Paulo capital. Grupo Boticário intends for 100% of deliveries to be made by electric vehicles by 2025 in capital cities. DHL Supply Chain, in turn, has the goal of zeroing its emissions by 2050, having invested more and more in the development of green logistics solutions. With the partnership, it is estimated that more than 48 tons of gases will no longer be emitted per year.

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