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This week CLECAT joined Smart Freight Week in Amsterdam, one of the key global gatherings for sustainable logistics. Bringing together more than 1,000 participants from across the supply chain, the event once again demonstrated the strength of collaboration across industry, policy, and innovation communities. From various initiatives insetting initiatives, IATA CO₂ Connect in air cargo to Clean Cargo’s port-pair emissions data, the breadth of projects showcased reflects a sector that is actively moving from ambition to implementation.

A central theme throughout the week was scale. What were once pilot initiatives are increasingly becoming operational tools. Book & Claim mechanisms are gaining traction, battery-electric vehicles are now firmly embedded in logistics operations, and methodologies for emissions accounting are evolving into robust, standardised systems that support real decision-making.

A highlight of the week was the celebration of 10 years of the GLEC Framework. A decade after its launch, the framework has become the common language for logistics emissions accounting, supported by a broad community of logistics service providers, shippers, and carriers worldwide. What started as a methodology has evolved into an ISO standard, enabling companies to calculate and assess greenhouse gas emissions consistently across global and regional supply chains, and across all transport modes. By supporting comparable and transparent reporting, the framework continues to underpin more informed decision-making and demonstrates how industry collaboration can deliver lasting impact. CLECAT has been closely engaged in this journey from the start.

The week also provided an opportunity to take stock of ongoing innovation projects. The CLEVER Project brought together experts and stakeholders to review progress and further align its work with the CountEmissionsEU initiative. Discussions focused on strengthening the methodological framework, including data quality, land-use considerations, and operational emissions. The development of transparent emission factors and the importance of verified data were central themes, alongside the role of certification and regulatory clarity. Importantly, the project is now moving firmly into application, with real-life use cases demonstrating how its methodology can be deployed across the logistics chain.

Equally forward-looking was the IKIGAI project, presented during the showcase session on the Physical Internet. The project illustrates how innovation is transitioning from concept to scalable logistics systems. By combining digitalisation, AI, and automation with zero-emission transport solutions, IKIGAI demonstrates how the twin green and digital transition can be realised in practice. The discussions highlighted the importance of interoperability and standards in unlocking collaboration, as well as the need to align competitiveness with resilience in increasingly complex and volatile supply chains.

Across all sessions, one message stood out clearly: the future of freight lies not only in technological innovation, but in building collaborative, standardised, and interoperable logistics ecosystems. The strong presence of young, innovative projects at this year’s event reinforces that momentum is building, and that the sector is actively working towards scalable solutions.

Smart Freight Week once again confirmed that progress in sustainable logistics depends on collective effort. For CLECAT, it remains essential to ensure that these developments are anchored in operational reality, supporting freight forwarders and logistics providers in delivering efficient, competitive, and increasingly sustainable supply chains.