Making transport systems sustainable

Environmental management schemes used today by companies promote marginal improvements from existing systems. We have compared the environmental reports presented by companies in the Swedish transport sector in relation to their carbon dioxide emissions, choice of indicators, and long-term goals. It is concluded that these reports cannot be used for benchmarking, nor for useful ranking of performance. The supply chain structure of the transport sector creates a problem with assigning the liability for carbon dioxide emission along the chain. The dramatic changes required by the transport sector in connection with climate change indicate that marginal improvements have to be assessed regarding long-term sustainability criteria. Comparing the situation of the transport companies to the criteria for applying backcasting we find that companies in the sector are well suited for using backcasting as a tool for strategy development. It is suggested that explicit contractual agreements of CO2 performance of transport services are used to increase awareness and responsibility. Further it is suggested that integrated supply chain backcasting may be attempted as a way to identify efficient long-term strategies.