In 2008 the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) held an Energy and Environment Summit in Melbourne. The conclusion was that (1) the debate about climate change is over, and (2) we need to get ready for the future policies heading our way. The conversation t ook two paths - (1) we need to work out our compliance strategies when a CPRS is introduced, and (2) we need to figure out what leverage we have on climate change policy makers. The coal and aluminium sectors were powering ahead (excuse the pun) while T&L were almost silent on the issues. For most of 2008 this remained the situation, in spite a few voices crying in the T&L wilderness.
In 2009 the game changed. T&L in its various modes (rail and road in particular) started to talk up the issues. Various lobby groups, industry associations and academics began the process of arguing their case for exemptions, inclusion, compliance and influence. This conversation promises to get louder and more argumentative as the ETS and CPRS policies are rolled out.
The ALC on the other hand has now adopted a slightly different approach in 2009 following a national forum early in the year. Based on the work of the European Global Commerce Initiative (GCI) and their interesting analysis of sustainability in supply chains - Future Supply Chain 2016 - the ALC decided to pursue a more positive agenda than relying on statemetns about compliance and spending time lobbying government.
Their decision was to convene a process over 12 months to see what makes up the elements of a sustainable supply chain from theT&L viewpoint. Questions of energy and environment were to be placed in the context of the overall efficiency and effectiveness of global and national supply chains. This implied a close connection between producers, T&L and customers as well as consumers.
In Europe the outcomes of Future SUpply Chain 2016 have been a range of powerful policy statemens about the need for better collaboration along the supply chain between everyone (including competitors) to improve energy and environmental processes. Collaboration as a theme resonates across T&L via collaborative transport possibilities, collaborative warehousing and collaborative information systems. Further to this, the Future Supply Chain business model leads companies to view themselves quite differently from the ground up - rather than focusing on compliance regimes.
The ALC has started Future Supply Chain 2020 for Australia. It intends to work with (collaborate) the State based Freight Councils, research groups, trade unions and interested expert indivduals to re-define the notion of sustainability in supply chains across Australia. Stay tuned for a major announcement in early 2010.