Sustainable Logistics

Sustainable Logistics: Tomsetts on the Road to Net Zero 2040

Climate change is an unprecedented risk to business, future generations, and our environment. As a family-run company based on the South Downs in Sussex, it’s firmly at the top of our agenda.

We know haulage has a big carbon footprint, but we’re hugely ambitious and determined to clean it up.

We’re targeting net zero carbon by 2040 and putting in place a data-driven roadmap to get there. Are you with us?

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What we’ve done so far

We know it won’t be easy, but we owe it to the next generation to think big. Our strategy combines short-term wins and long-term planning.

Measuring our carbon footprint

Each year we’ll be measuring our emissions.

We’ll be accounting for everything, from the miles our lorries drive to the pensions we pay into.

We’re using Clean Growth UK’s SBTi-aligned carbon calculator and working with net zero experts The Green Business Team.

Look out for our full net zero roadmap “Tomsetts on the Road to Net Zero 2040” – coming soon. It will chart our journey to becoming a truly sustainable logistics company.

Decarbonising Tomsetts HQ

At our HQ in Newhaven, East Sussex we’ve got offices, a truck yard, and a repair workshop.

We’ve put in place LEDs across the whole site, insulation in the roofspace, and waterless urinals.

We’ve also switched to zero-emissions electric forklifts, saving us 24 tonnes CO2e per year (the equivalent of 400 flights from London to Paris!).

We’ll keep on trucking and plan to have a net zero HQ by 2028.

Our biggest challenge: on the road

Trucks are the biggest chunk of our footprint. Eventually we’ll go all-electric, but the tech isn’t quite there yet.

For now, we’re doing the best we can with the tech available.

We’re trialing an electric Volvo truck for local deliveries, training all our drivers on fuel efficient driving, and optimising route planning to avoid wasted miles.

We’re also using longer, aero-dynamic trailers to reduce fuel consumption and maximise loads.

Need emissions data for your deliveries? As members of the Palletforce Network, we can provide emissions data for every consignment we send using their latest emissions tracking tool.

“We’re a small family business taking on the biggest issue of our time, which is why we’re partnering with The Green Business Team. It’s an exciting step on the journey, not just for us, but for helping to understand how the industry as a whole can decarbonise.”

Andrew Tucknott, Managing Director, Tomsetts Distribution