Scania hosts net zero transport conference

On Monday 8 November 2021, in the backdrop of COP26 in Glasgow, Scania took the opportunity to host its own Net Zero Conference, bringing together a whole range of influencers, partners and customers from across the transport sector to discuss the collaboration required to accelerate impactful change over the coming years.  The event was held at Eurocentral, Scania’s newest, largest and most sustainable sales and service facility.  This state-of-the-art location will become the Scottish hub for Scania and will officially open next month.

As keynote speaker, Christian Levin, CEO & President of Scania and Traton, lead with an impressive and heartfelt speech about the future of Scania and its purpose, to become the leader in sustainable transport solutions, and his desire to work in partnership to find those solutions and decarbonize fleets.  The event was livestreamed and interactive, inviting questions from the viewers as well as from attendees in the room.

During his speech, Christian Levin stated that while Scania has the largest range of renewable options available on the market today, further development of the refuelling infrastructures for the various types of renewable fuels is the key challenge which has to be addressed for the industry to move forward.  Scania, he added, is guided by its science-based targets and is ready, willing and able to collaborate and engage with its customers, legislators and other stakeholders to strive to be 100% fossil-free by 2040.  In the interim, Levin said, it is important that the industry remembers the rolling fleet, adopting 'here and now' solutions wherever possible in order to lower emissions without delay.

Following Christian onto the stage were an impressive line of speakers who all shared their thoughts, challenges and hopes for the future of the transport industry.  The speakers were as follows:

Andreas Foller, Head of Sustainability, Scania

Jennie Cato, Head of Public Affairs and Partnerships, Scania

Bob Moran, Deputy Director, UK Department for Transport

Sarah Mukherjee, CEO, IEMA

Mike Hawes, CEO, SMMT

Graeme Cooper, Head of Future Markets, National Grid

Will Wilson, CEO Siemens Mobility

Philip Fjeld, Director, CNG Fuels

David Hurren, UK CEO, Air Liquide

Dickon Posnett, Corporate Affairs Director, Argent Energy

Magnus Hammick, COO,  Green Biofuels

The presentation included a Q&A session, after which  James Armstrong, Managing Director of Scania (Great Britain) Limited, summed up the event by reiterating that the industry can achieve its net zero aims but only by working together.  Scania, he said, is ready with products and solutions available right now, to assist our customers' personal net zero ambitions.  But for the whole industry to achieve its aims, partnering at scale between all stakeholders is essential, as are government policies and incentives to drive the uptake of existing renewable fuel solutions for the rolling fleet, not least the prerequisite of developing the renewable fuels refuelling infrastructure.

After the Conference, an evening dinner celebration was organised to mark the upcoming opening of the Eurocentral branch.  Customers were invited to join Scania colleagues to enjoy a three-course dinner with a jazz band for entertainment.

Commenting on the event, Karima Haji, Transformation Director for Scania (Great Britain) Limited, said: "This has been a great opportunity to gather key speakers together to discuss the future of our industry.  As transformation lead for the business, I am looking forward to driving this change and would like to thank all the speakers for their contributions and to our delegates for attending – this event and the way we move forward is all about collaboration, working in partnership is how we will all achieve our goals."

James Colbourne, Dealer Director for Scania Scotland, added:  "I would like to echo Karima and thank everyone who has attended this event.  It was a pleasure to host this event in our new Eurocentral facility and to welcome our first guests to this location.  This is the first time we have organised an event of this kind in one of our branches, the venue looked magnificent with a stage set for the day and a full line up tables set for the evening dinner.  This event was a momentous occasion, I can’t wait for the official opening next month as the enormity of this site and the sustainable features it has will help to showcase that Scania really is about driving change and making a difference.  While many sustainability-related challenges undoubtedly lie ahead, I am extremely excited for the future and for the next generation of Scania vehicles and employees, both of which will help us lead the way towards our ultimate goals of net zero and Scania being the brand people want to work for."