Sustainability

Sustainability

C.H. Robinson $604M Verdict Drives Carrier Vetting Over Rates

John Ferguson, founder and CEO of Pivot Supply Chain Solutions, reports that shippers now demand full disclosure of carrier vetting systems before discussing rates — a direct response to the $604 million C.H. Robinson verdict where the firm was held 23% liable, matching its $135 million insurance policy. The Northeast led U.S. load-to-truck ratios for 60 days before Washington State produce shifted dominance to the West Coast. Shippers are front-loading Monday–Wednesday pickups and pulling October freight into September, setting up a sharp early-October slowdown. Tender rejection rates moved from 13% to 14%, and brokers are revising language around driver tracking to avoid shared-employee liability.

2026-09-27

Sustainability

Egypt launches 8 logistics corridors, handles 233M tonnes in 2025

Egypt — North Africa’s largest economy — has launched eight logistics corridors linking its seaports and the Suez Canal to dry ports, industrial zones, agricultural areas, and mining regions. The corridors include Bernice–Aswan–East Oweinat–Kufra–N’Djamena and Cairo–Aswan–Abu Simbel, extending connectivity into Sudan, Libya, Chad, and Central Africa. Egyptian ports handled 233 million tonnes of cargo in 2025 — up 12% year on year — and 11.1 million TEUs, a 25% increase. The government plans five new ports (totaling 19), 100 million square metres of port area, and over 70 km of new berths. Egypt ranks 19th globally and first in Africa on the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index.

2026-09-25

Sustainability

U.S. emissions rollback on Boeing 777 freighter aids air logistics

The U.S. EPA rolled back emissions standards for the Boeing 777 freighter, easing NOx certification requirements effective August 1, 2026. The change permits a 7.5% higher emissions threshold during takeoff, reduces certification time by 11 weeks per cycle, and supports accelerated deliveries of 12 new 777Fs for Atlas Air through mid-2028. Flexport observed a 22% rise in quoted air cargo capacity at U.S. hubs starting in June 2026, while transpacific spot rates climbed 14.3% by September 12, 2026. The rule aligns with updated ICAO standards and reflects real-world freighter engine performance data.

2026-09-22

Sustainability

CBP crackdown puts 3,000+ cross-border freight shipments at risk

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Q3 2025 enforcement surge has placed over 3,000 cross-border freight shipments at risk weekly. New ACE audit protocols, launched in July 2025, triggered a 47% rise in importer penalties and extended cargo hold times at Laredo to 6.3 hours. As of September 15, 2025, CBP suspended 217 Importer of Record designations. Logistics firms like C.H. Robinson and Flexport activated compliance triage units amid widespread HS code mismatches — cited by 68% of surveyed customs brokers. CBP’s August 2025 machine-learning classifiers now monitor 12 high-risk product categories.

2026-09-22

Sustainability

NMDC pledges net-zero operational emissions by 2047

NMDC shares rose 2% to Rs 80.85 after pledging net-zero operational emissions by 2047. Its phased roadmap spans FY 2026–FY 2030 (short term), FY 2030–FY 2040 (medium term), and FY 2040–FY 2047 (long term), targeting a minimum 90% emissions cut. Key initiatives include a 10.5 MW wind facility at Chitradurga, solar installations, slurry pipeline deployment, and rail freight expansion. Shares fell 5% monthly but gained 4.85% annually and 74.32% over five years.

2026-09-22

Sustainability

EU Widens CBAM to Finished Goods, China Launches $111B Carbon Tool

The European Parliament expanded the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on 15 September to include finished steel and aluminium products, triggering trilogue talks with EU governments. Simultaneously, China launched an RMB 800 billion ($111 billion) carbon reduction support tool and advanced cross-border carbon trading rules. Singapore and China deepened green finance ties during their 17 September taskforce meeting, extending taxonomy cooperation to transition activities. ExxonMobil initiated CCS operations at Nucor’s Louisiana plant—capturing 800,000 tonnes annually—and secured approval for its Rose storage project. CBAM’s definitive phase began in January 2026, while China’s ecological code took effect on 15 August.

2026-09-21

Sustainability

South Africa secures $1 billion NDB loan for municipal water, energy, waste reform

South Africa has secured a $1 billion loan from the New Development Bank to upgrade metropolitan water, energy, and waste infrastructure — with disbursements tied to verifiable improvements in municipal governance, financial sustainability, and operational performance. Signed on September 15, the 16-year facility includes a three-year grace period and an interest rate of daily SOFR plus 1.18508%. It responds to acute fiscal stress, including Eskom’s municipal debt surge to 111.6 billion rand (up 17.9% by March 2026) and Johannesburg’s daily loss of 655 million litres of water. Co-financed by the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, KfW, and the French Development Agency, the programme treats institutional reform as core infrastructure deliverable.

2026-09-20

Sustainability

Verra Launches Scope 3 Standard Program on September 15

Verra launched its Scope 3 Standard (S3S) Program on September 15 to help companies measure, verify, and report emissions reductions in their value chains. The program supports pipeline-listing of projects using two initial methodologies — Improved Agricultural Land Management and CO2 Utilization in Concrete Production. Scope 3 emissions typically account for more than 75% of a company’s total carbon footprint, and over 40% of the world’s largest public companies include them in net-zero targets. S3Us — non-transferable, value-chain-specific units — require verified connections and third-party validation. SBTi’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0, released in June 2026, reinforces demand for such integrity-focused tools.

2026-09-19

Sustainability

Four-Layer Digital System Cuts Millet Supply Chain Latency by 29.5%

A peer-reviewed study in Scientific Reports details a four-layer digital architecture for millet supply chains, achieving a 29.5% latency reduction (from 880 ms to 620 ms), 39.1% faster QR-based traceability, and 75% system availability during ten-node failures. The Millet Supply Chain Management System (MSCMS) integrates IoT sensors, edge computing, central cloud, and permissioned Ethereum blockchain — delivering 165 TPS and cutting on-chain storage from 175 MB to 55 MB per 1,000 transactions. Authors emphasize its role in building stakeholder trust and data-driven sustainability.

2026-09-19

Sustainability

India Builds CBAM Verification Capacity Amid €75.36/ton Carbon Cost

India is urgently building domestic emissions-verification capacity ahead of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which entered its definitive phase on January 1, 2026. Certificate prices stood at €75.36/tonne CO₂ in Q1 2026 and €75.28 in Q2. With CBAM-covered exports rising from 6.3% to 10.5% of India’s EU trade between 2014 and 2023, the government is prioritizing NABCB recognition, digital carbon trails, and streamlined verification to avoid burdening MSMEs. The goal is low-cost compliance — not another layer of bureaucracy.

2026-09-18

Sustainability

Munchkin appoints Kunal Thakkar as first chief supply chain officer

Munchkin appointed Kunal Thakkar as its first chief supply chain officer in September 2026. Thakkar, a 20-year industry veteran, joined last month after serving as CEO of Seair Global and holding leadership roles at Thrasio and Walmart. He now oversees global operations, supply chain, compliance, sourcing, demand planning, order management, and program management at Munchkin, reporting to Steven Dunn, CEO of parent company Why Brands. The role reflects Munchkin’s strategic emphasis on integrated, compliant, and scalable supply chain infrastructure across the US, EU, and Southeast Asia.

2026-09-17

Sustainability

Thailand raises 2026 GDP growth forecast to 2.5%

Thailand’s 2026 GDP growth forecast has been raised to 2.5% from 2%, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC). The revision reflects stronger exports and AI-linked investment, underpinned by projected 32.5 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2026. The UTCC expects a K-shaped recovery—favoring high-tech industries and large firms—while SMEs and traditional sectors continue contracting. The forecast hinges on specific assumptions, including resolution of Middle East conflicts by October 2025 and no conclusion to the U.S. Section 301 probe this year. Thailand remains Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy after Indonesia and Singapore.

2026-09-17