Introducing Flexport’s Carbon-Neutral Freight Service

Freight shipping is notoriously difficult to decarbonize. While buses and passenger vehicles have greatly increased fuel efficiency, developing and deploying fuel-efficient freight ships and cargo planes has proven to be more difficult.

Transportation remains the fastest-growing contributor to worldwide carbon emissions, with emissions from freight transportation expected to quadruple by 2050. To make a true impact on global trade, we have to make shipping not only more efficient but also more sustainable. With a platform for data analysis, and an integrated carbon calculator, we are driving greater carbon awareness and mitigation.

We started Flexport.org as an acknowledgment that climate change is happening now. It requires swift and urgent action, today.

Flexport’s Carbon Neutral LCL Boxes

Following the International Maritime Organization’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 compared to 2008, Flexport has made its own commitment toward freight transit decarbonization.

As of June 1st, Flexport.org has begun offsetting the carbon emissions from its Less-than-Container-Load (LCL) service worldwide. Now, all Flexport LCL shipments will be carbon neutral.

We project that our Carbon-Neutral LCL Service will offset 8,000 metric tons of CO2 in our first year, the equivalent of planting over 200,000 trees or mitigating over 19.5 million miles driven by an average passenger vehicle.

The carbon credits we purchase to offset our clients’ emissions directly fund emissions mitigation projects including reforestation and socio-environmental stability in South America as well as international and domestic clean energy and waste management projects. They are executed and overseen by our nonprofit partner Carbonfund.org Foundation, a leading climate solutions provider that also works with transit giants like JetBlue and Amtrak.

Our new commitment stemmed organically from a growing interest by our clients in offsetting their carbon footprint. Our hope is that this new investment will encourage customers to voluntarily purchase offsets for all their shipments.

This is just the beginning

Our philosophy is simple: reduce what you can, offset what you can’t. Our new service is the beginning of a burgeoning sustainability strategy to make global trade easy for everyone.

We are continually inspired by our clients’ enthusiasm for reducing their carbon footprints through our voluntary Carbon Offset Program and their engagement in monitoring and reducing their freight emissions. We are also committed to continuing our social initiatives to offer special services to organizations providing product donations and disaster relief. In an industry that is just beginning to make strides in reducing its environmental impact, we want to hold ourselves accountable and contribute to this progress.

Climate is our responsibility. As we move forward, we are thankful to our partners and customers who learn, work, and improve the world alongside us.

by Susy Schöneberg, Angela Luh