The Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme (LCRS) has been launched in response to Government challenges business to respond to national and international climate change targets.

The scheme monitors the progress that individual businesses within the sector are achieving in reducing fuel use, for example through collaboration, investment in low carbon vehicles, use of low carbon fuels and eco-driver training. Scheme members use a single reporting framework, based on wider Government-led business reporting requirements, to track emissions. FTA then provides a collective report of members' progress.

The initiative is intended to provide a simple and cost-effective way for businesses of all sizes to use the same measurement techniques to measure carbon dioxide emissions from logistics activities and report them on a common basis. Initially it will focus on CO2 emissions arising from the fuel usage in commercial vehicles, but will be extended over time to cover the other modes and activities in the supply chain, including rail freight, shipping and aviation, manual handling and warehousing.

The scheme already represents the activities of over 37,000 commercial vehicles from 37 members including Warburtons, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Arla Foods, Boots UK Limited, EDF Energy, Carlsberg UK Ltd, DHL and John Lewis Partnership. The scheme is managed by a working group of environmental managers drawn from the launch members.

FTA's Simon Chapman, who is leading the LCRS project, commented: 'The scheme gives individual businesses the tools and the confidence to join in the response to the climate change challenges that confront us all. Even small businesses can use the Scheme to measure carbon dioxide emissions in the same way as the largest operators do. The LCRS allows the logistics sector to stay one step ahead of government legislation and to get the credit for the improvements in efficiency that it is continually making.'

Membership of the scheme is open to all commercial vehicle operators to join and an application pack can be obtained from Rachael Dillon, FTA's Climate Change Manager, at [email protected]