A new IFB report lays out the need and the case for how the freight and logistics sector can move beyond carbon reduction and become a force for nature recovery through action.
Nature Positive Freight & Logistics: Beyond Net Zero, The Path to Regenerative Transport was written, compiled and enacted by Dougal Fleming, drawing on research by Dr Amy Burnett and Professor Robyn Owen at Middlesex University’s Centre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research (CEEDR). It was developed in collaboration with Tomsetts Distribution, a Sussex-based SME haulier, and uses many case studies from across the sector.
The report argues that while net zero is essential, it is not enough. Freight and logistics affects far more than carbon (The Transport sector accounts for 26% of UK emissions in 2023) and so it affects: air quality, water, soil, habitats, materials, landscapes and communities are all shaped by how goods move through the world.
It identifies five practical areas for action:
- Fleet electrification and alternative powertrains,
- Smart logistics and route optimisation,
- Tyres, brakes and road surface pollution,
- Supply chain integration and circular economy, and
- Green infrastructure and biodiversity credits.
Together, these show how the sector can cut emissions, reduce wasted miles, tackle hidden pollution, extend product life and turn depots, warehouses and routes into living assets.
Dougal Fleming, IFB Knowledge Exchange Fellow and report author, said:
“Everything we do has an impact on nature. The question is whether that impact is careless or conscious, extractive or regenerative. Freight and logistics keeps the economy moving, but it also touches almost every part of the living world. In this report I am trying to shows that nature positive is not a soft add-on. It is a practical, investable and necessary business agenda.”
The report highlights clear business benefits: lower fuel and maintenance costs, stronger tenders, access to green finance, reduced flood risk, improved staff wellbeing and better customer trust.
Andrew Tucknott, Director of Tomsetts Distribution, said:
“We’re a small haulier in a big, noisy industry. We don’t have everything figured out, but doing nothing is not an option. This report gives businesses like ours a way to think differently about the future — not just cleaner trucks, but smarter systems, less waste and a better relationship with the places we move through.”
This report lays out how Freight and Logistics sector can go beyond being defined by a traditional mindset, to become one of the places where restoration begins to thrive, where migratory corridors line the roads, where particulate matter gets filtered before making it into our rivers.
The road ahead is not only about what we carry. It is about what we leave behind.