DP World Chooses Pledge to Track Carbon-Cutting

Logistics giant DP World is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its operations and those of its clients. 

To make sustainability improvements, the company has partnered with Pledge to accurately measure the carbon savings of its road-to-rail initiative in the UK. 

The Modal Shift Programme (MSP) offers financial incentives to cargo owners, encouraging them to move freight from road to rail, particularly for journeys within a 140-mile radius from the Port of Southampton. 

The programme's primary goal is to boost the UK rail freight network that is currently under-utilised.

Pledge: Trusted freight emissions tracking

Founded in 2021 by David de Picciotto, Thomas Lucas and Andre Mohamed, Pledge provides a platform that allows freight forwarders to measure, report, reduce, and offset their Scope 3 carbon emissions. 

Accredited by the Smart Freight Centre, Pledge conforms to the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework for measuring transport and logistics emissions. 

With Pledge's tools, DP World can monitor the impact of every container leaving Southampton by rail, making compliance easier and helping customers meet their emission reduction goals.

John Trenchard, VP UK Commercial & Supply Chain at DP World, emphasised the importance of accurate carbon measurement for the success of the MSP: “The Modal Shift Programme has allowed our customers to explore how rail can be effectively utilised to achieve lower carbon for international supply chains serving the UK economy.

“Due to the scale and originality of the programme, we wanted to make sure we worked with a trusted, independent third party to calculate carbon savings from the programme. 

“Pledge was willing to work closely with us to understand the considerations of the programme and was able to optimise its system for our requirements. The solution is user-friendly and easy to use for mass journey calculations.”

Reversing trends and cutting emissions

Before the MSP, rail freight from Southampton had dropped by 10% over the past decade. 

However, since its launch in September 2023, the programme has reversed this trend, increasing the share of freight moved by rail from 21% to 30%. 

This initiative contributes significantly to the UK Government's 2050 target of a 75% increase in rail freight, aiming to reduce road congestion and emissions.

The MSP has already prevented 6,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) in its first six months. 

The Pledge platform simplifies the calculation of CO2e savings by analysing factors like cargo weight, journey details and vehicle characteristics to compare road-based and rail-based emissions. 

The difference between these represents the carbon savings achieved.

David de Picciotto, Co-Founder and CEO at Pledge, says: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with DP World to create ongoing, data-driven proof of the impact of its Modal Shift Programme. 

“Understanding and quantifying emissions is a requirement for global businesses and the vital first step towards reducing them. 

“As is often said, ‘you can't improve what you don't measure’. We hope what’s happening in Southampton will inspire ports and other transit hubs worldwide to emulate its success in tackling some of the key challenges of the climate crisis.”

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