The engagement programme will help decarbonise one of the most difficult-to-reach operational waste streams.
CHEP, a subsidiary of global logistics giant Brambles which employs 11,000 people across the world, wants to engage with 650 of its suppliers in the first year of the groundbreaking scheme. This includes transportation, timber, and service centres, with 65% of the firm’s global emissions traced to the third parties involved.
The programme will focus on four core areas to build a ‘collaborative engagement framework’ – capability building, meaning training and resources tailored to individual supplier types – enablement, which covers industry specific programmes to remove climate action barriers, data sharing – to support transparency and tracking – and action and accountability. The latter involves creating internal frameworks aligned with what is being asked for suppliers.
‘We have been engaging with our suppliers on climate action for several years. Climate Smart Partners elevates this work with a structured, value-centric approach that deepens our partnerships with our most material suppliers,’ said Marisa Sanchez Urrea, Global Head of Decarbonisation.
‘We recognise that many of our suppliers are at different stages in their climate journey,’ she continued. ‘This initiative is about building capability, enabling action and holding ourselves and our partners accountable. Ultimately, climate action builds long-term resilience, both for CHEP and our partners.’
The engagement framework is already being developed. Examples of this in action include the launch of CHEP’s Climate Smart Guide – a comprehensive knowledge sharing resource for timber suppliers and subcontracted service centres offering practical steps on reducing emissions and case studies from CHEP’s own journey. Elsewhere, a two pilot enablement programmes is being introduced, allowing transport carriers to increase access to low- and zero-emissions transport solutions, and scorecards tracking decarbonisation progress are being progressively rolled out.
Image: Pickawood / Unsplash
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