Why Net Zero Logistics Still Doesn’t Exist (And What Actually Works)

Reaching Net Zero has proven more difficult in freight and logistics than almost any other sector.

An industry built on speed, scale, and rising consumer demand has been forced to confront an equally fast-moving challenge: climate change.

At first glance, the solution seems obvious—switch to electric vehicles.

But in reality, things are far more complicated.

The Structural Problem

Freight and logistics isn’t a single system. It’s a multi-actor network made up of different layers:

• First mile (collection)

• Trunk logistics (long-distance, intercity transport)

• Final mile (delivery to the customer)

While final mile delivery has seen real progress—with electric vans and cargo bikes becoming common—the same cannot be said for trunk logistics.

This is where the system breaks down.

Why Electric Alone Isn’t Enough

Long-distance freight still relies heavily on fossil fuels. The reasons are practical:

• Limited range of electric HGVs

• Long charging times

• Insufficient charging infrastructure

• No viable way to rapidly unload, recharge, and reload at scale

In logistics, time is money. Delays compound quickly, and inefficiencies ripple across entire supply chains.

The result?

A fully Net Zero national logistics network still hasn’t materialised.

What the Industry Was Left With

In practice, organisations have been left choosing between imperfect options:

1. Carbon Offsetting

Reducing impact on paper—without fundamentally changing the system.

2. Partial Electrification

Using rail or electric fleets where possible, but with major limitations:

• Only a small proportion of UK freight rail was electrified

• Hydrogen solutions remained negligible

• Dependency on infrastructure restricted scalability

What Logistics UK Acknowledged

Logistics UK had previously acknowledged that the sector needed to do more—but also recognised the reality:

Full decarbonisation using conventional logistics models alone would be extremely difficult.

That’s because the biggest emissions don’t come from the last mile—they come from moving goods long distances in the first place.

A Different Approach: Remove the Journey

This is where new models are starting to change the equation.

Instead of trying to decarbonise every mile, the question becomes:

What if you didn’t need to transport the product at all?

Platforms like ReallyRecycle take this approach by:

• Manufacturing products at or near the point of use

• Using recovered and recycled materials

• Replacing physical distribution with digital distribution of designs

In effect, the most carbon-intensive part of logistics—the trunk journey—is removed entirely.

What remains is only:

• Local production

• Final-mile delivery (often via EV or bike)

This is how logistics can move closer to true Net Zero, not just offsetting.

Case Study: The Reality of Electric Logistics

Even with a hybrid fleet of electric vans and e-bikes, real-world constraints are clear.

On paper:

• EV vans may offer ~170 miles of range

In reality:

• Motorway driving reduces efficiency

• Regenerative braking is limited at constant speeds

• Practical range can drop to ~70 miles

• Charging stops of 30+ minutes become necessary

For trunk logistics, this creates a fundamental issue:

Reduced range + increased downtime = operational and financial strain

Scaling this model would require:

• More vehicles

• More depots

• More land use

• More handling and transfer points

All of which increases cost and complexity—while eroding margins.

A Sector at a Crossroads

Logistics is now in a difficult position:

• Increasing dependence on large centralised platforms

• Rising pressure to decarbonise

• Structural limitations in existing models

At the same time, consumer behaviour is shifting.

Buying locally and reducing unnecessary transport:

• Lowers emissions

• Improves supply chain resilience

• Creates stronger local economic value

But it also reshapes the labour model—moving away from long-haul transport and toward localised fulfilment.

The Bottom Line

Net Zero logistics isn’t just a vehicle problem—it’s a system design problem.

You can’t fully decarbonise a model built on long-distance movement by simply swapping fuel types.

You have to rethink:

• Where products are made

• How they are distributed

• Whether they need to move at all

What Comes Next?

The future of logistics is likely to be hybrid:

• Digital where possible

• Local where practical

• Physical transport only where necessary

The question isn’t whether logistics will change.

It’s how quickly organisations adapt to models that:

• reduce transport

• lower cost

• and genuinely cut emissions