TNT, with a fleet of mainly vans and trucks that operate in urban areas, feels that it is its responsibility, as the largest transporters, to make a contribution to a clean environment.
'If a company like TNT takes the initiative, this might stimulate the rest of the industry to follow suit,” says Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT. 'With this co-operative effort, we want to develop shareable knowledge. Decreasing harmful emissions is a joint process, and one where we cannot just sit around waiting for the other to get it started.'
This co-operative initiative, which is also open to other companies, will start with a period of research and the testing of a range of particulate filters for various types of freight vehicles. This stage is necessary in order to retrofit the existing diesel vehicles with particulate filters. VROM is working on a subsidy scheme for the retrofit and plans to announce this in 2006.
State Secretary Pieter van Geel: 'We are very pleased with the initiative of TNT. This fits in with VROM's policy of working together with commercial parties to advance the technical development of environmental measures. It is our hope that this joint commitment between VROM and TNT will bring us a step closer to reducing harmful emissions. We call on other companies to follow TNT's example and to actively join in the effort.'
TNT N.V. is a global provider of mail, express and logistics services. The group employs over 160,000 people in 63 countries and serves over 200 countries. For 2004 the company reported sales of €12.6 billion. TNT N.V. is publicly listed on the stock exchanges of Amsterdam, New York, London and Frankfurt.
