SEKO Logistics has joined the Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA) to accelerate its global decarbonization program and help clients achieve their own sustainability goals.

The Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA) is a buyer-supplier collaboration between shippers, freight forwarders and airlines to track and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from air freight and promote responsible freight transport. Its reporting airlines are AirBridgeCargo Airlines, American Airlines, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo, Polar Air Cargo, SAS and United Airlines.

“We have a responsibility to join other global business leaders in this initiative because our industry must do more to protect our planet for future generations,” said James Gagne, president & CEO of SEKO Logistics.

“This is not a cliché, it’s a reality. SAFA is a tangible opportunity for us to contribute to the positive decarbonization work being undertaken by the aviation industry, airlines and companies like SEKO to make a positive difference,” he added.     

The aviation industry has been proactively stepping up sustainability programs to meet new regulations, helped by advancements in aircraft technologies and greater fuel efficiency, as well as progress in relation to the use of biofuels.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established its Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to focus on the purchase of credits and lower carbon fuels, while the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is targeting a reduction in net aviation CO₂ emissions of 50% by 2050.   

SAFA provides a collaborative platform for sharing and learning sustainability information, best practices, and innovation to help achieve company goals. Airlines report on qualitative data, including carbon efficiency for fleet (average), per trade lane, per flight classification, and per aircraft model. This encapsulates policies and compliance, sustainability governance, greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint disclosure and targets, and alignment with ICAO goals for sustainable fuels offsets.

This carrier-specific data enables shippers and forwarders to more accurately measure carbon footprint, set their own GHG reduction targets and track progress against them.   

SEKO Logistics is already a partner of the US Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA) SmartWay program to confirm the company’s annual fuel usage and freight emissions data and comply with the EPA’s targets to enhance the sustainability of global supply chains.

SEKO has also introduced home compostable packaging into its eCommerce fulfilment operations to replace single-use plastics, is adopting solar energy solutions at major facilities in Europe and the U.S., and piloting a ‘Green Lane’ carbon calculator, which it ultimately intends to deploy globally for clients.

Shawn Richard, SEKO’s Vice President – Global Air Freight, commented: “We are working on sustainability initiatives in our own operations and facilities globally, but the simple fact is that 75-80% of our carbon footprint is related to our indirect procurement of transportation.”

He added that “as air transport represents around 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions ... the industry needs transformative change to meet the climate needs of our planet.”

 “[It's a] very clear and simple message to our industry; sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ in logistics but a determining factor in who customers and consumers will choose to do business with,” Richard noted.