Delivering a low-carbon future
The city of Stockholm and over 300 companies and organisations work together in a Climate Pact to reduce emissions. During 2021 and beyond, a group of Climate Pact members are working together to accelerate the implementation of low carbon solutions for urban deliveries and logistics. Paul Fenton, Charlotta Hedvik and Per Erik Österlund tell us how.
Across Europe, the rapid growth of internet retail and the onset of the pandemic have led to increasing demand for home deliveries and urban logistics. Many cities, private companies and other stakeholders are experimenting with new methods, techniques, and business models in an attempt to meet this demand whilst also ensuring wider societal objectives are achieved.
Moreover, with transport being a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution, the challenges of climate change, environment, urban planning, and public health are major topics of discussion in most cities. In the city of Stockholm, Sweden, an inspiring form of collaborative governance – the Stockholm Climate Pact – has emerged to address these complex and shared challenges.
Stockholm’s Climate Pact has over 300 members
Credits: City of Stockholm
Stockholm’s Climate Pact is a voluntary network of over 300 companies and organisations committed to reducing their climate impact and contributing towards the transition to a fossil fuel-free and climate positive Stockholm by 2040. Participation to the Climate Pact gives members access to city politicians and experts, knowledge transfer activities and more.
This year, the City of Stockholm and a group of Climate Pact members are working on “Climate Pact Delivers” within the City-Business Climate Alliance (CBCA), a joint initiative from C40 Cities, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
"The Stockholm Climate Pact shows how cities, companies and other organisations can work together to accelerate CO2 emission reductions and help improve the urban environment for all solving complex climate challenges together."
Katarina Luhr, Vice-Mayor for Environment and Climate at the city of Stockholm
Climate Pact… Delivers – literally!
“Climate Pact Delivers” aims to demonstrate how actions by the city of Stockholm and Climate Pact members can reduce the climate impact of deliveries and logistics. Each participant commits to:
- implementing and evaluating a solution;
- communicating about this solution;
- sharing results through internal channels;
- reaching a wider audience with national and international activities;
- participating in workshops, seminars and other activities organised by the Climate Pact, including a dialogue with Stockholm’s Vice-Mayor for Environment and Climate, Katarina Luhr.
In addition, it is expected that – as each company is committed to reducing the climate impacts of transportation and goods deliveries – projects will lead to clear and measurable results within 1-2 years and to the inspiration of more companies to implement similar solutions.
Through “Climate Pact Delivers” we will demonstrate simple and effective measures that can improve the sustainability of urban logistics. This will help us implement our city climate contract and our commitment to be fossil fuel free and climate positive by 2040”
Katarina Luhr, Vice-Mayor for Environment and Climate at the city of Stockholm
Delivering the transition to low-carbon deliveries and logistics
The city of Stockholm and over 300 companies and organisations work together in a Climate Pact to reduce emissions – but citizens do their part, too - Credits: Yiwen
As of April 2021, nine companies have signed up to Climate Pact Delivers and are working with the city administration to develop their solutions. The nine companies represent a range of sectors and functions, from logistics service providers to data analytics and retailers receiving deliveries and shipping goods to customers. As such, there is scope to identify many kinds of challenges and opportunities, both individual to each company, as well as shared challenges for clusters of companies, and strategic challenges that concern most or all of the companies.
Individual and shared challenges may be relatively simple to address in the short-medium term through new measures or cooperation, with the city playing a facilitation role. Examples include encouraging city-owned companies or other company clients to install charging point for service vehicles or delivery vans; investigating if companies can share charging points at terminals; or work to launch new micro-terminals enabling last-mile delivery of refrigerated produce to shops or customers using cargo bikes or light electric vehicles.
Transformative change ahead
Strategic challenges may require the adoption of new approaches by the city, or dialogue with other stakeholders, such as regional or national authorities or the participating companies’ own branch organisations. Examples include work on strategic planning for improved logistics and charging infrastructure for electric heavy vehicles (which the city can proceed with); work to ensure procurement criteria used by public and private actors facilitate a low-carbon transition (which all partners can work on); or issues concerning transposition of rules from other EU member states (something the city has no mandate over, but which requires engagement with national authorities).
“Climate Pact Delivers” shows how city administrations can facilitate change through dialogue and improved coordination; the initiative aims to demonstrate approaches that other cities can adapt and adopt, and which accelerate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Identifying practical challenges - many of which are shared challenges – makes it easier to put the right people in contact with one another and to target actions that truly deliver transformative change.
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About the City-Business Climate Alliance
The CBCA provides the most ambitious city and business leaders with a platform to convene, set joint commitments, co-create, and implement projects that help cities deliver on their Climate Action Plans in line with the Paris Agreement.
Read more here!
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About the companies that have signed the Stockholm Climate Pact
The Climate Pact has been subscribed by Ahlsell Sverige, Bring E-Commerce & Logistics, E-tron, Havilog, IBM Svenska, IKEA Svenska Försäljning, L&T, Martin & Servera Logistik, Axfood
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About Stockholm as a POLIS Member
The city of Stockholm aims to become fossil-fuel-free and climate positive by 2040. The newly adopted Climate Action Plan 2020-2023 aims at taking the city to a maximum of 1.5 tonnes of CO2/inhabitant by 2023
Stockholm is involved in the following POLIS working groups: Clean vehicles and air quality, Active travel and health, Traffic efficiency, Governance and integration, Urban freight, Road safety, Economic & social access and Parking.
The City of Stockholm has been involved in the following EU projects: Civitas Eccentric, Life aspire, Grow smarter, IntelligentSea, Zeeus, NextGen Link, Prosfet & The Northern ScanMed Ports – Sustainable Maritime Links.
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About the authors
Paul Fenton, Charlotta Hedvik and Per Erik Österlund are Project Managers at the Environment & Health Administration, City of Stockholm.
Credits: Sebastian Pichler