(Credit: Pixabay)J.B. Hunt Transport Services, one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America, today announced a new goal to reduce its carbon emission intensity 32% by 2034 (baseline 2019).
Specifically, J.B. Hunt will focus on three key areas to reach its emission-reduction target by 2034:
Achieving the company’s target is dependent on significant progress with the development and availability of new industry technology and the infrastructure needed to enable their day-to-day use on an industry-wide scale. Examples include developments such as: ongoing enhancements to commercial motor vehicles; charging and refueling infrastructure; expanded capacity on the electrical grid; increased availability of biogenic fuels; and the incorporation of more energy resources with lower carbon intensity.
J.B. Hunt’s goal is an intensity target aligned with the original goal of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 2°C. Emission intensity measures the volume of absolute emissions emitted against a relevant business output, allowing for business growth while still showing emissions improvement on a per unit basis.
J.B. Hunt developed a roadmap for how its goal could be achieved if certain assumptions, including those related to electric vehicles, biogenic fuels, and MPG improvements, are met. These assumptions were made with deep understanding of company operations and following consultation with suppliers and original equipment manufacturers and recommendations from a variety of leading industry organizations.
Reducing J.B. Hunt’s carbon emission intensity is expected to have a positive impact throughout the supply chain, helping many customers reduce their overall carbon footprint. Converting over-the-road highway freight to rail intermodal is the most widely available ground transportation solution for cutting carbon emissions, reducing a shipment’s carbon footprint by an average of 60% compared to over-the-road truck transportation.
Over the past decade, J.B. Hunt’s intermodal service has helped avoid an estimated 30 million metric tons of CO2e emissions from over-the-road truck transportation. Similarly, since 2020, the company’s J.B. Hunt 360° technology platform has provided freight visibility used to find loads that helped company drivers avoid an estimated nearly six million empty miles. While relevant to the emissions-reduction conversation, carbon emissions avoided by intermodal conversion and empty-mile reduction do not contribute to the company achieving its reduction target.
