First SL logistics company to set Science Based Targets on reducing emissions

The world still has an opportunity to reverse the harmful impacts of climate change- and big businesses are crucial to the fight. Businesses contribute 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions and any meaningful impact on reducing mankind’s carbon emissions requires an equally meaningful commitment from large corporates.

That’s the momentous pledge that Expolanka Freight (EFL) is making as it marks another milestone in its sustainability journey with an official commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global project that aims to provide business leaders with the accountability framework they need to reduce their carbon footprint.

SBTi is a collaboration between CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The initiative defines, promotes and showcases best practices on setting science-based targets to reduce emissions, and independently assesses and approves targets set by committed companies. Businesses can transform society by setting these targets, delivering on ambitious but achievable reductions in emissions and demonstrating to governments that it is possible to reverse the rapid deterioration of climate health.

EFL is the first logistics company and only the third organisation in Sri Lanka to make the SBTi commitment. “This puts us on a path beyond mere good intentions,” says its Global Lead – Sustainability, Sabrina Yusoof. “SBTi gives us specific targets that we can measure our progress against. It’s a real call to action within EFL- we’re signalling to our employees, shareholders and clients that we mean to make real change.”

The company has already made significant strides across its structure to implement concrete changes; earlier this year it announced that it was further expanding the capacity of its solar powered facility at Orugodawatta; the first LEED Gold Accredited facility of its kind which follows an ISO 14064:2006 certification to quantify and report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This is in addition to becoming the first Sri Lankan company to obtain membership for Green Freight Asia and initiating a five year commitment to plan over 125,000 trees to revive the Bundala National Park in 2019.