Green Freight
Freightera is designed to link business shippers to the most efficient, well-run carrier or transportation company for each route or service area.
Freightera is green by design but against regulation and authoritarian control. It focuses on source reduction of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, not offsets or carbon trading. It reduces emissions by giving shippers access to lower-emission, lower-cost transportation companies, letting each firm decide what is important. Selecting primarily based on price, 630 firms using Freightera reduced their net CO2e emissions by 20%+ in the most recent year tracked, and 130 firms reduced emissions by 50%+. The average shipper, just by quoting and booking with Freightera, reduced their emissions by 14.8%.
The platform was launched in 2014 by a husband and wife team Eric Beckwitt and Zhenya Beck, US web development business owners. The couple moved from Northern California to Canada in search of cleaner air for their 3-year-old son, who suffered from severe asthma caused by air pollution. Their earlier backgrounds in leadership, journalism, and conservation and new experiences as small business owners and immigrants living in Canada paycheck to paycheck made them passionate about solving problems that many other businesses, individuals, and families have: air-pollution-induced asthma, and the stress of keeping business afloat, exacerbated by transportation inefficiencies, unpredictable shipping rates, and surprise charges. Freightera's mission came alive in a better integrated holistic way for people, the environment, and business following the founders' personal experiences. Freightera customers save money and nerves and reduce emissions simply by using the platform.
Shortly after creating the low emission freight marketplace, Freightera discovered that about 80% of the time, the same carrier that offers the lowest price will also be most fuel-efficient and use the best available emissions reduction technology. This means cleaner air, less risk of climate change, better service and lower cost, all from the same carrier. A huge win-win.
Freightera's Lower Emission Freight Marketplace allows shippers to see which carriers are either participating in emission reduction programs like the US EPA/Environment Canada SmartWay Partnership, or using lower emission rail for long haul. Shippers can book the lowest price option, or click "Low Emission" to see only the SmartWay and rail carriers, sorted by price.
Freightera is preferentially bringing in new carriers that offer the highest service quality, the best price and lowest emissions for each lane and region, so shippers can continue to reduce emissions as they pay less and improve the bottom line in their operations.
Freightera is actively working with governments and industry at multiple levels (State/Province, National, and International) on new market-based approaches to emission reduction, greening, and shortening complex and inefficient supply chains.
In 2016, Freightera's CEO Eric Beckwitt wrote the thought leadership statement “A Green Future for Freight” for the G7 Summit in Japan, and also presented a summary of how industry can lead the transition to low-emission freight transport globally at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Marrakech, Morocco.
Freightera was featured as the Canadian Business Showcase in the 2018 G7 Summit Edition of Climate Change – The New Economy (CCTNE) with article “Canada's Opportunity to Lead the Global Greening of Freight”. CCTNE was the leading climate change publication supporting the G7 2018 Summit.
CEO Eric Beckwitt won the 2019 Clean50 Award for his “outstanding contribution to advance the cause of sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada over the past two years.” Clean50 is one of the most important awards for corporate contribution to environmental sustainability in Canada. Eric Beckwitt won the award along with Mario Plourde, CEO of Cascades, and Sarah Buckle, director of enterprise risk and sustainability at Translink, the greater Vancouver transit authority. Past honorees include Premier Kathleen Wynne of Ontario, who opened the summit, Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and Galen G. Weston of Loblaws.
CEO Eric Beckwitt authored a a new though leadership article “Accelerating the Transition to Zero-Emission Freight Shipping” in the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference Edition of Climate Change: The New Economy (CCTNE).
CEO Eric Beckwitt received the 2022 Report on Business magazine Changemakers award. Changemakers is an editorial award program produced by Report on Business magazine at The Globe and Mail. Its intent is to showcase the 50 inspirational leaders, entrepreneurs, and academics reinventing how Canada does business today.
Freightera is also promoting the latest low and zero-emission technologies, and investment sources, that speed the transition to cleaner air, more efficient shipping, and sustainability. Please contact us to share technology or systems with our extended freight shipping community.
