J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell said it would try to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by 32% by the year 2034.
The company said it would focus on three areas to reach the target: alternative-powered equipment, more biogenic fuel usage and better miles per gallon from its diesel vehicles.
“Our roadmap to achieving this aspirational goal will help J.B. Hunt strive to significantly reduce our carbon emission intensity while holding true to our customer commitment of providing efficient, quality-driven, competitive supply chain solutions for moving their freight,” said Craig Harper, the company’s chief sustainability officer. “Our goal is an ambitious challenge to improve J.B. Hunt’s carbon footprint and to help advance the transportation industry’s progress in developing sustainable solutions that are commercially viable and scalable for widespread adoption.”
The company said its goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions matches with the Paris Climate Agreement goal to limit global warming. Emission intensity measures carbon reduction per GDP, which the company said would show better emissions as the company grew its operations.
J.B. Hunt said one of the most effective ways to reduce emissions is by switching ground freight to rail freight, which can cut a shipment’s carbon footprint by as much as 60%. The company said it has 113,000 intermodal containers, the most of any company in North America, and plans to expand to 150,000 within the next five years.
J.B. Hunt said it has cut 30 million metric tons of carbon emissions the past decade by focusing on more intermodal freight. Its logistics platform, J.B. Hunt 360°, has removed six million empty miles from truck drivers since 2020, the company said.
