Packaging pooling firm CHEP launches Climate Smart Partners programme to help tier suppliers cut emissions
CHEP, a provider of returnable transport packaging (RTP) pooling services owned by Brambles, has started to roll out its Climate Smart Partners programme, which it describes as “a new supplier engagement programme aimed at accelerating emissions reductions across its global supply chain”.
The Climate Smart Partners programme is designed to target Scope 3 emissions, which CHEP recognises account for more than 97% of its emissions. CHEP expects to engage with more than 650 suppliers across transportation, timber and subcontracted service centres in the first year of the programme.
“We have been engaging with our suppliers on climate action for several years,” said Marisa Sánchez Urrea, global head of decarbonisation at Brambles. “Climate Smart Partners elevates this work with a structured, value-centric approach that deepens our partnerships with our most material suppliers,”
In the automotive sector, CHEP is initially focused predominantly on tier-one suppliers but a spokesperson for the company recognised OEMs as critical participants in the ecosystem and therefore key players in its enablement programme.
They noted that while it is yet to engage with OEMs directly, they are in scope for the programme further down the road. Currently, CHEP’s closest interaction with OEMs is through its eTruck-as-a-Service partners, which support small and medium-sized carriers in deploying electric vehicles. These partners work directly with OEMs including Mercedes, Volvo, Freightliner, MACK and BYD.
“We recognise that many of our suppliers are at different stages in their climate journey. This initiative is about building capability, enabling action and holding ourselves and our partners accountable,” added Sánchez. “Ultimately, climate action builds long-term resilience, both for CHEP and our partners.”
The Climate Smart Partners will set clear operational targets with suppliers and apply proven strategies to cut emissions that reflect CHEP’s own internal initiatives surrounding energy efficiency, equipment electrification, renewable electricity adoption and low-emission transport solutions.
Central to the programme are four core areas to “ensure a partnership-based approach that delivers the greatest impact for CHEP and its suppliers”: capability building; enablement programmes; data sharing; and action and accountability.
