Report sets out pathway to decarbonising freight transport in Wales
Fri 21 March 2025
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(Media release) A new report by Zemo Partnership for the Welsh Government sets out the policy options to decarbonise Wales’ commercial vehicle sector.
The report lists 60 ‘specific objectives’ that require policy actions to achieve them, identifying the body (or bodies) with primary responsibility and the timeframe recommended for implementation.
Road freight and logistics are the life-blood of commerce and trade in Wales but also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), representing 34% of the country’s total surface transport emissions. (A significantly higher proportion of total surface transport GHG emissions than for the UK as a whole.)
While significant progress has already been made in decarbonising cars and vans throughout the UK, the freight sector has seen slower progress and remains more challenging to electrify or otherwise decarbonise.
Zemo’s report recommends a package of measures which would save 8.4MtCO2e by 2050 and be highly cost effective with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 5.9.
The proposals would also unlock significant operating cost benefits for the commercial vehicle sector in Wales over the period to 2050 with each pound invested unlocking almost eight pounds of benefit to industry in terms of fuel costs. Cumulatively, this could amount to a £2.1 billion reduction in fuel costs to CV operators over the period to 2050.
Working in consultation with a broad cross-section of industry and government stakeholders in Wales and across the UK, Zemo has identified a range of ‘no regrets’ actions that can be taken by the Welsh Government and industry to accelerate decarbonisation of the sector.
Electrification will be the main long-term pathway to decarbonising the commercial vehicle sector in Wales, but other pathways should – and can – be adopted in parallel. Low carbon fuels, for example, provide a near-term opportunity to decarbonise vehicles in hard-to-electrify applications. There may be opportunities of a role for hydrogen by the late 2030s (providing sources of low carbon hydrogen are developed) and repowering vehicles to zero tailpipe emissions can also be an option in special use cases.
The report notes that Wales has already taken positive steps to facilitate transport electrification through the development of Local Area Energy Plans (LAEPs) which enable holistic transport and energy planning.
Many actions suggested by Zemo in the report seek to facilitate partnerships, remove barriers, support innovation and educate operators. Importantly these do not require significant capital outlay and can be implemented quickly.
The report notes that operators can prepare for the transition by improving their understanding and awareness of the new vehicle technologies available as well as of advances in telematics and broader logistical planning which can bring long-term cost reductions as well as benefits in terms of customer and staff satisfaction.
Commenting on the project at an event held today to launch the report, hosted by Welsh Water on behalf of Zemo Partnership, Robin Beckmann, Head of Transport, Environment and Decarbonisation, Welsh Government said: ” Cutting carbon emissions from the freight sector is a key challenge for Wales; heavy goods vehicles, in particular, are hard to decarbonise and freight overall represents a very significant proportion of total emissions in the country.”
Zemo Partnership’s Director of Policy and the Wales project lead, Jonathan Murray, said: “The Welsh Government has been correct in identifying the CV sector as critical to decarbonising road transport in Wales.
“Freight is vital to the country’s economy. The good news is that if we get this transition right, there will be benefits to Wales’ economy, to operators’ bottom-lines and to the local and global environment.”
“We know the technologies that can decarbonise Wales’ transport system. If we can deliver the policy changes recommended in this report, we can accelerate the pace of transition and realise the full range of benefits that we know are available.”
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