Dozens of leading companies including PepsiCo, Heineken and Nike, are calling on the EU to set more ambitious emissions standards for trucks, arguing that more zero emission vehicles are urgently needed to reach the bloc’s climate goals.
In a letter to EU environment ministers seen by the Financial Times, 41 businesses argue that if the bloc is to achieve its overall goal of reducing emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 it is “essential for us that a rapidly growing number of zero emission trucks become available for purchase in the next few years”.
Ikea, Maersk and Nestlé are also among the signatories demanding that the current target, which is to cut CO₂ emissions from heavy-duty vehicles by 45 per cent by 2030, is raised to 65 per cent. They are also asking for a clear date for the ban of fossil-powered trucks so that manufacturers “ramp up” production of zero emission vehicles. The average lifetime of heavy goods trucks in Europe is 18 years.