The ‘Off the Road’ initiative began in January 2023
and is designed to offset the impact of CO2 emissions by planting two trees for
every tyre purchased by DP World Southampton from Goodyear. For the past year,
the trees have been planted in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, where the
reforestation effort has been completed in partnership with Tree-Nation, a
non-profit focusing on global reforestation and combating climate change.
The
initiative has so far resulted in 121.4 tonnes of CO2 being offset, with the total area of reforested land amounting to
0.35 hectares. Throughout the year, a combination of Aspen, Scots Pine and Grey
Willow trees were planted.
Jonathan Scott, Senior Director –
Engineering at DP World Southampton said: “Thanks to our strong working
partnership with Goodyear, the tree planting initiative has made great progress
so far. After cutting carbon emissions across Europe by 20 per cent last year,
the ‘Off the Road’ initiative is yet another example of DP World’s commitment
to work alongside partners that share our focus on sustainable operations as we
strive to become carbon neutral by 2040 and net zero carbon by 2050.”
Paul Bould, OTR Sales Manager UK,
Ireland & Benelux at Goodyear said: “We
are happy to partner with DP World in this meaningful initiative, contributing
to environmental sustainability while advancing our shared commitment to a
better future. This collaboration exemplifies our dedication to working with
our partners on fostering a culture of responsibility and care for the planet.”
The
initiative marks the latest development in DP World’s decarbonisation push. In January, DP World Southampton announced an
increase to the financial incentive of the ‘Modal Shift Programme’, which has
the potential to mitigate up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by encouraging
customers to move freight from road to rail. The news also comes in the wake of
DP World London Gateway going ‘fossil-diesel free’ following an operational
switch to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
Last week, DP World announced that it was awarded a
Bronze Medal for its global operations as part of its first EcoVadis
sustainability assessment. EcoVadis, which is one of the world’s largest
sustainability assessment providers, awarded the medal following the successful
rollout of DP World’s sustainability strategy, ‘Our World, Our Future’ which
focuses on making a positive impact on people and communities.