Leading third party logistics provider Knowles Transport has made
significant inroads in propelling its green agenda, having already
reached a number of key objectives on the road to achieving its Net Zero
goals.

With sustainability constantly top-of-mind at Knowles, the company has
indeed undergone extensive change in recent years.

By continually investing in its fleet replacement programme, Kg CO2 e
per mile has significantly reduced in recent years. Knowle is also
engaged in a vehicle roof deflector aerodynamics trial which improves
airflow and reduces drag therefore increasing efficiency and minimising
emissions generated. Currently 5% of the fleet are engaged in the trial
and should it prove successful, the customised roof deflectors will be
fitted on all new Knowles artic vehicles from new.

With Knowles also actively utilising alternative fuels such as HVO,
further extensive emission cuts are tipped in the not-so-distant future.

But their efforts do not stop there. With a continuous commitment to
driving sustainability amongst his fleet, 80 per cent of Knowles’
warehouse MHE are now powered by electric – with a target of converting
its entire fleet to electric penned in for 2027.

The company’s electric drive has also seen the business bolster much of
its company car fleet with electric vehicles – something that it aims to
fully convert by 2030. Moreover, Knowles recently completed an electric
vehicle trial in conjunction with Volvo involving a Volvo XE 19 tonne
rigid with a view to be used for local delivery or pallet network
operations.

Furthermore, across its two million sq/ft of its warehousing portfolio,
Knowles is currently producing 300,000 kWh of electricity per year
representing 10% of total warehouse power usage, with all operations
also being powered from green energy grid supply. Knowles is also
currently further looking at expanding its solar energy and storage
generation.

Rainwater harvesting, which has reduced Knowles’ dependency on pumped
and treated water sources, as well as its ongoing waste management
programme has also played a part in driving forward the company’s
ambitious sustainability goals.

Never one to rest on its laurels, Knowles recently looked to further
develop its commitment to reduce carbon emissions and work towards Net
Zero as well as to both better understand its current footprint and to
develop accurate emissions reporting for their customers as part of its
service offering.

In doing so, they joined forces with supply chain logistics consultants
Davies & Robson, which provided Knowles with a comprehensive analysis of
their carbon footprint. Once the appropriate data was gathered and
evaluated, the supply chain consultants were subsequently able to offer
recommendations to optimise data collection and refine measurement in
future years.

According to Alex Knowles, Managing Director at Knowles Transport, the
project will essentially serve as a foundation for continued
carbon-reduction efforts, ensuring that Knowles Transport remains at the
forefront of sustainable logistics.

Alex Knowles commented: “As the need to become more environmentally
conscious has increased over the past decade, sustainability has been
core value for the business driving procurement and operational decision
making. From solar energy generation to truck aerodynamics, we have
consistently looked at ways where we can reduce our environmental
impact.

“By bringing in Davies & Robson, our aim was to get a clear picture of
all emissions across transport, handling and storage services and
generate a unit of measurement for each that we can use as a barometer
to ensure we are becoming more sustainable despite growing volumes
across all service areas. These measurements are Kg CO2 e per mile for
transport, Kg CO2 e per pallet in for handling and Kg CO2 e per pallet
week for storage. From the outset we were keen to not only better
understand our current footprint but also to develop accurate emissions
reporting each service area and to be able to offer every customer their
own unique emissions data as they utilise our respective services which
is becoming an increasing requirement for customers as they seek to
understand their scope 3 emissions.

“With this now in place we can now embark upon a strategised carbon
reduction plan in line with our Net Zero roadmap that will take our
ability to achieve sustainability goals to the next level.

“The roadmap that we now have in place will not only enhance all our
current sustainability focused initiatives that we have in place but
also give us scope to explore new ways to decrease our carbon
footprint.”