FIDI has recently published a new report on best practices and guidelines entitled 'How to become environmentally sustainable in the moving business'.

This is the first in a series of activities, publications and events FIDI will be running throughout this year, in close collaboration with its members, other associations and external stakeholders. The publication starts with some basic best practices, easily adapted to any company’s environment and business reality. FIDI will also be providing members with tools and templates to make the actual implementation easier.

The report is 32 pages long which, for some, might sound excessive.  But it’s not.  It includes a welcome from FIDI President Ebru Demirel in which she makes a bold statement, “Real positive environmental impact can only be achieved if we tackle this burning issue together, within a clear, standardised framework of action.”  That may well be true, but getting the whole industry to pull together on this one will inevitably be a challenge.

The foreword is from Jessica Deutschmann, FIDI 39 Club President. She points out a stark reality. “This report is the first step – but the journey is long, and it is all about taking the next steps and figuring out how to do it.”

The document offers guiding principles and specific action points giving advice on what you can do within your business to improve sustainability with respect to: energy, transport, packaging, recycling, etc.  It is a very useful document that has been thoroughly researched and is beautifully written, making it easy to follow and to use as a valuable reference document. The last few pages are dedicated to testimonials from some of the industry’s best-known companies explaining what they have done to become more sustainable.

The report makes it clear that it is not a manual to becoming a ‘green’ mover. Rather it is meant to help shift mindsets; to spark ideas through best practices and examples from other companies. It warns, however, that sustainability is a buzzword at the moment, and many are trying to take advantage of the current momentum by promising easy, quick-fix solutions and providing ‘proof’ of your sustainability efforts.  It says that it can be difficult to separate the good companies from the ‘cowboys’ and the risk of falling prey to greenwashing initiatives is high.

For more information about FIDI’s sustainability projects, contact Magali Horbert, Marketing & Communications Manager, at Magali.horbert@fidi.org.