A good story

When the Swedish Association of Road Transport Companies first created Fair Transport back in 2012, our aim was to turn the discussion about the problems faced by the transport sector and the challenges it faced at the time into a story about how haulage companies could instead work to take responsibility and drive change. Fair Transport was launched in 2014 as a way to highlight and draw attention to sustainable transport solutions provided by responsible haulers. Haulers who put road safety first, who think climate-smart and who offer good working conditions to their employees. 1,500 companies signed up to the first-generation Fair Transport which quickly became a well-known brand in the transport industry in Sweden. Our orange logo meant that haulage companies were proud to show that they were businesses with ambitious plans to strive for sustainability in the haulage industry. Over time, international demand for sustainable transport services has increased. Not least, as a better understanding of the effects of climate change made it clear that there was a need for a transparent system that could be monitored by customers and other relevant partners.

When the Swedish Association of Road Transport Companies first created Fair Transport in 2012, our aim was to turn the discussion about the problems faced by the transport sector and the challenges it faced at the time into a story about how haulage companies could instead work to take responsibility and drive change.

A tool for better procurement

In 2016, a knowledge-sharing program was introduced within the public sector. Together with the Swedish Public Procurement Authority, The Swedish Association of Road Transport Companies provided information about how Fair Transport could be used as a tool to identify those transport companies which stood out from the rest and how the procurement process could be improved using Fair Transport compliant criteria. Seminars were held at twelve locations around the country, and they were a success. Fair Transport has since then become an important tool, not least among municipalities seeking to procure transportation services. The following year, a similar program was carried out this time aimed at the private sector in which the Swedish Tax Agency also participated. The country’s 200 largest transport buyers were invited to take part and seminars were held in many places around the country.

Increased demands and expectations

In 2017, a sustainability report was published by Fair Transport. It showed that the requirements that had previously been defined needed to be improved upon and that it should be possible to follow-up on the practices of individual companies. This was echoed by those companies who had already signed up and who strongly believed that the industry was ready to take the next step. In order for Fair Transport to grow, be taken seriously and thus contribute to real change, clearer content and more specific requirements were needed. Fair Transport had to live up to the expectations that had been set, both by transport buyers and society in general. In 2018, we began to further improve Fair Transport. What started out as a call for ”healthy transport solutions provided by healthy haulage companies” developed into a commitment to ensure sustainable transport solutions. When you buy a Fair Transport, you don’t just procure the services of a haulage company that meets the usual legal requirements in terms of road safety, emissions and the work environment. You also ensure that you are provided with a solution by a company that evaluates, transparently reports and takes responsibility for the continuous improvement of its services.

Our latest step forward

In 2021, Fair Transport became a true sustainability certification for road freight transport. This means that it enables haulers and transport buyers alike to live up to the ambitious environmental and climate goals that have been set while at the same time ensuring healthy competition on equal terms and drawing ever closer to the zero vision of traffic related emissions. Transport buyers can now place demands on Fair Transport when procuring transportation services which means that we can make the journey together. Another major milestone that happened in 2021 was that the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprises joined Fair Transport.

Change to meet the fuuture

That we are facing a monumental transition to our industry is beyond doubt and Fair Transport is our way of actively investing in and taking responsibility for our own future. What this will look like is of course a question that is impossible to answer, but we are pretty sure that our industry is being transformed into something completely different to what it once was. Thanks to good ideas, new technology and hard work we envision a haulage industry that can offer highly professional transport solutions, but with a zero percent negative impact on our environment and society as we know it. It is a brazen claim, we know. But that’s what we are aiming for.