Identification and assessment of training needs, methods and activities for the wider use of environmental technologies in key sectorsContract No. 044244

Co-ordinated Action

Final Activity Report

Start date of project: 01.04.2007 Duration: 18 months

Dr. Grit MartinezEcologic – Institute for International and European Environmental Policy

SixthFrameworkProgramme

SixthFrameworkProgramme

Contents1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 3

1.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT...................................................................................................31.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE EVENTS.....................................................................................................31.3 OBJECTIVES OF OTHER DELIVERABLES.......................................................................................4

2 TASKS PERFORMED.................................................................................................................... 4

2.1 WORK PACKAGE 0: MANAGEMENT.............................................................................................42.1.1 Project Management.......................................................................................................42.1.2 Meetings during the project.............................................................................................42.1.3 Project Reports...............................................................................................................5

2.2 WORK PACKAGE 1: BACKGROUND NOTES..................................................................................52.3 WORK PACKAGE 2: 3 WORKSHOPS...........................................................................................6

2.3.1 Programme Development...............................................................................................62.3.2 Selection of Chairpersons, Speakers and Identification of Participants..........................72.3.3 Speaker Guide................................................................................................................72.3.4 Co-ordination of Contributions........................................................................................72.3.5 Website........................................................................................................................... 72.3.6 Design, layout and printing..............................................................................................82.3.7 Database Administration.................................................................................................82.3.8 Mailings........................................................................................................................... 82.3.9 Workshop Venues...........................................................................................................82.3.10 Accommodation..............................................................................................................92.3.11 Conference Binder..........................................................................................................92.3.12 Conduction of the workshops..........................................................................................92.3.13 Summary of the workshops.............................................................................................9

2.4 WORK PACKAGE 3: CONCLUDING CONFERENCE.......................................................................102.5 WORK PACKAGE 4: POLICY BRIEF...........................................................................................112.6 WORK PACKAGE 5: DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS......................................................................11

2.6.1 ETTAR Platform............................................................................................................122.7 WORK PACKAGE 6: E-LEARNING SPECIFICATION.......................................................................13

3 USING AND DISSEMINATING THE KNOWLEDGE...................................................................14

4 Results and Conclusions...........................................................................................................16

2

1 Introduction This activity report will give a wrap-up of the activities carried out in the ETTAR project. The report includes a description of the objectives of the project and the different work packages, including the project management and the timing and deadlines of the different deliverables.

1.1 Objectives of the ProjectThe project was entitled “Identification and assessment of training needs, methods and activities for the wider use of environmental technologies in key sectors”, the acronym was ETTAR (standing for: Environmental Technologies, Training and Awareness-Raising). This was a project under the 6th EU Framework Programme dealing with opportunities and potentials to increase the sustainability of freight transport, laying its focus on the role of environmental technologies. This question is decisive for environmental protection given that transport accounts for more than one quarter of CO2 emissions worldwide. At the same time the transport sector has the highest emission growth rate of all sectors. Tackling transport is crucial for tackling climate change and business-as-usual is no longer acceptable in the transport sector and elsewhere. Against this background, the project contributed to raising awareness and providing training for industry and policy makers with regard to the environmental effects of freight transport.

The ETTAR project was led by Ecologic - Institute for International and European Environmental Policy in co-operation with the following partners: Chalmers University (Sweden), Clean Technology Centre (Ireland), Deutsche Bahn AG (Germany), ENVIROS (Czech Republic) and University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership (UK).

The ETTAR team facilitated workshops and a concluding conference bringing together key actors from the transport sector

to raise and deepen awareness of the business opportunities which green logistics entail,

to analyse the barriers which are still in the way to their adaptation and

to discuss the role European and national policy makers can and must play.

To give a short sum-up of the ETTAR project, ETTAR facilitated three workshops and a concluding conference, disseminated two Policy Briefs, four Background Notes and event summaries, developed an E-learning specification and produced a live reality sketch.

The project ran from April 2007 to September 2008.

1.2 Objectives of the EventsThe objectives of the ETTAR workshops and the concluding conference were to raise awareness and build capacities to address the environmental impacts occurring along the supply chain, to help businesses becoming more aware of the impacts linked to transport.

The events assembled representatives from the freight transport industry (including road, rail, sea or air-based transport modes) with the purpose to create a “dialogue atmosphere”

3

between the different stakeholders and to talk freely about existing problems. In order to keep up confidentiality the Chatham House Rule was applied throughout the events meaning that nobody shall be cited outside the events unless the respective speaker has given his consent.

A major focus of the events was the identification and assessment of training needed to promote the practical adoption or up-take and application of environmental technologies in the transport sector. ETTAR pinpointed the need for logistics managers to learn, as well as to facilitate learning within their companies, and discussed the best available technologies and best practices that industry could adopt without exceeding certain cost limits.

1.3 Objectives of other deliverablesOther deliverables included

Background Notes serving as a basis for the discussions in the workshops and the conference;

2 Policy Briefs summing up partly the results of the workshops and the conference and developing policy recommendations;

Dissemination of results;

E-learning specification.

2 Tasks Performed

2.1 Work Package 0: Management

2.1.1 Project Management

Ecologic carried out the task of the technical co-ordination of the ETTAR project and its administrative management. This included the technical and organisational coherence between the project components and the maintenance of the relationship between the project partner and the Commisson. Ecologic managed the communication between all parties involved, circulated relevant deliverables, informed the Comission about the status of the preparations on a regular basis and assumed responsibility for accounting and financial control.

2.1.2 Meetings during the project

Ecologic organised five meetings involving different project partners.This included the kick-off meeting with the project team and the Commission and the team meetings after each workshop and the final conference. In addition, regular team teleconferences as well as bilateral teleconferences took place on a monthly basis. In preparation for each of the meetings, Ecologic identified topics to be discussed and prepared the relevant documents.

The kick-off meeting was held on 4 May 2007 in Brussels. The meeting further defined the tasks that had to be carried out by the contractor and its network partners and the communication on administrative matters with DG Environment. In total four team meetings took place in Gothenburg (during the first workshop on 26 September 2007), in Prague (during the second workshop on 26 January 2008), in Berlin (after the third workshop on 18

4

April 2008) and subsequent to the final conference in Brussel on 9 September 2008. In these meetings the preparation of the individual workshops and the final conference, concepts of deliverables such as policy briefs and E-learning specification, press coverage and dissemination strategies as well as administrative matters were discussed. In addition, during the elaboration of the E-learning scenarios several sub-group meetings were organized and held.

2.1.3 Project Reports

An activity and management report have been prepared and are being delivered to the Commisson at the end of the project duration.

2.2 Work Package 1: Background Notes WP 1 included the working out of four Background Notes. The Background Notes were intended to lay the groundwork for the Conference discussions. The Background Papers were based on scientific research into the possible problems and current policy developments at the European level.

These Background Notes were developed in preparation of the three ETTAR workshops and the concluding conference and distributed to the participants beforehand (approximately one week before the respective event). The aim of the Background Notes was to provide the relevant information to the participants of the workshops and the conference and to outline key questions to be discussed at the event. The Background Notes were used as a common starting point for further discussions and served as a basis for the Policy Briefs.

Background Note 1: Background Note 1 entitled “Transport and the Environment: Barriers to the take up of environmental technologies in the transport sector” included

A description of the current policy of the European Commission with regard to environmental technologies and

A basic description of existing environmental technologies in the transport sector;

Basic information on supply chain management and integration.

The background note 1 was primarily developed in the months September/October 2007, the main contributors were Ecologic, Deutsche Bahn, CTC and Chalmers.

Background Note 2: Background Note 2 entitled “Transport and the Environment: Barriers to the take-up of more efficient transport and logistics planning and training and awareness raising methods” included

A description of the current European policies concerning the applications of intelligent logistics solutions for all transport modes and for the different modes of transport, i.e. air, inland water ways, rail and road.

A description of current developments of logistics technologies and the barriers as well as drivers to their uptake by freight industry;

5

An enumeration of different platforms fostering awareness raising of intelligent logistics solutions.

The background note 2 was primarily elaborated in the months November till January 2007/08. The main contributors were Ecologic, Deutsche Bahn and Chalmers.

Background Note 3: Background Note 3 entitled “Transport and the Environment The road ahead: training and awareness raising that will encourage the freight transport sector to improve its environmental performance” included

A description of the Commission’s priorities to green the freight transport sector;

A description of the ecological footprint as a parameter to measure environmental performance;

E-learning as a tool to school stakeholders to green freight transport.

The Background Note 3 was primarily developed in the month March and April 2008, the major contributors were Ecologic, Deutsche Bahn and Cambridge.

The background notes for the concluding conference consisted of a short description of the background and the objectives of the conference.

2.3 Work Package 2: 3 Workshops Three workshops were organised by the consortium over the duration of the project:

Workshop 1, 25-26 October 2007, Gothenburg

Transport and the EnvironmentBarriers to the take up of currently available lower carbon technologies

Workshop 2, 24-25 January 2008, Prague

Barriers to the take up of more efficient transport and logistics planning and training and awareness rasing methods.

Workshop 3, 17-18 April 2008, Berlin

The road ahead: training and awareness-raising that will encourage the freight transport sector to improve its environmental performance

In the following sections, the standard procedure for the preparation and conduction of the three workshops is described:

2.3.1 Programme Development

Ecologic, in co-operation with its partners and the Commission, developed a detailed concept for the workshops and defined the specific topics for the interactive working groups. The workshops’ programme was structured in a way that guaranteed a maximum level of

6

exchange of experiences and for discussion. The workshop supported the exchange between different stakeholders, such as authorities, industry and NGOs.

In order to organise this exchange most effectively and to provide enough room for discussions, the workshops partly consisted of parallel working groups (WG) and partly be held in plenary sessions. This structure allowed on the one hand for general discussions and on the other hand for more specific and targeted discussions on relevant key issues.

The programme development was always finished up to approximately 1 month before the respective workshops.

2.3.2 Selection of Chairpersons, Speakers and Identification of Participants

Ecologic, with the support of its network partners, identified relevant representatives of authorities, industry and NGOs.

Apart from the substantive considerations, however, presentational skills had been taken into account. The aim was to match the most competent and able presenters with their respective subjects, while maintaining an even distribution in terms of background and origin.

The chairpersons and speakers were approached by the consortium, specifically by Ecologic. Therefore, an early event announcement describing the date, location, draft programme, content, aims and target group of the events was prepared and sent out to potential speakers and chairpersons.

According to the objectives of the workshops, the main target groups were identified and discussed by Ecologic, in co-operation with its partners and the Commisson.

2.3.3 Speaker Guide

On the basis of the programme development, Ecologic prepared a short "Speaker Guide" informing all active participants of their respective roles. The aim was not only to inform about organisational arrangements but to ensure that the main lines of the arguments, the key messages and the likely conclusions are known and understood.The ETTAR team followed up on a bilateral basis with each speaker and/or panellist before the events on content and coherence of the contributon with the events objectives.

2.3.4 Co-ordination of Contributions

In order to allow an early analysis, Ecologic collected the various contributions from speakers. In some cases, authors were asked to make minor changes so that the final versions fitted the aims of the workshops.

2.3.5 Website

Ecologic created an attractive, colourful, concise and user-friendly Internet platform for the organisation and documentation of the workshops and the conference (http://www.ettar.eu/). It was regularly updated and it always reflected the latest available information regarding the events.

The website contains the following items: "About ETTAR", "Partners", "Events", "Results", "Press Releases", "Useful Links", “Contact”, and "Partner Area".The “Partner Area” internal section, protected by a password, was for the exchange of documents on the preparatory work and meetings. The website runs in English only.

7

Ecologic provided detailed location plans, information on each city, and information on public transport to and from the conference venue on the website.

2.3.6 Design, layout and printing

Ecologic coordinated and controlled the production of all printed documents related to the workshops and the conference. Therefore, Ecologic developed a basic event design according to the design of the ETTAR website. This design was used for all workshop and conference proceedings.

2.3.7 Database Administration

A contact database was put together for the series of events. Ecologic, the consortium as well as the Commission contributed to the assembling of the contact database. To ensure that the address material is accurate and up-to-date, intensive research and database work was essential. Volume and quality of address material has increased substantially during the project period. A database of more than 800 qualified addresses was build up.

2.3.8 Mailings

An e-mail address (ettar@ecologic-events.de) was set up for the purpose of facilitating communication with regard to the conference.

Ecologic prepared a fax registration form containing gender, title, first name, last name, position, organisation, unit, postal address, postal address, telephone, fax, e-mail and website. The invitation included this registration form as an attachment. The link to the event's website was included in the e-mail and provided all invitees with current information on the event. Ecologic served as contact point for all questions related to the event at the conference.

All mailings were written in English and sent by e-mail. Ecologic send mailings as follows:

Workshop Gothenborg

Workshop Prague Workshop Berlin

Invitations 213 Invitations, 30 July 2007

408 Invitations, 14 December 2007

804 Invitations, 12 March 2008

Reminder 205 Reminder, 12 September 2007

365 Reminder, 8 January 2008

797 Reminder, 31 March 2008

Speakers 13 10 12

Total Participants 58 42 59

2.3.9 Workshop Venues

Ecologic identified and rented conference venues in Gothenborg, Prague and Berlin, each with one appropriate conference room and smaller rooms for the workshop sessions. The event locations were easily reachable by public transport.

Ecologic organised the necessary technical equipment for the workshops. This included screen, laptop, data projector and microphones for the plenary room and screen, laptop and data projector for the working group rooms.

8

Ecologic organised the workshop catering (coffee breaks (coffee, tea, water, cookies or fruits) and a lunch buffet).

2.3.10 Accommodation

Ecologic arranged block reservations in hotels situated near the workshop venues. Ecologic sent booking password and deadlines to each participant in the confirmation mail. This information was also available on the website www.ettar.eu.

2.3.11 Conference Binder

Ecologic assembled and copied a conference binder for each participant. It included: final programme, abstracts and copies of PowerPoint slides (as available at the time), short CVs of the speakers, chairpersons and panellists, and a list of participants. All presentations of the speakers are also available on www.ettar.eu.

2.3.12 Conduction of the workshops

Moderator

The consortium made sure that there was coherence between the workshops. For this reason the consortium contracted a moderator to guide the discussions in the workshops and give background information.

Scientific Onsite-Support

Ecologic scientific staff members were rapporteurs in the working groups during the workshop, co-ordinated speakers and chairpersons during the plenary sessions, and took notes of the conference discussions to prepare the conference summary.

Technical Onsite-Support

The Ecologic Conference Team provided staff members for the smooth running of the events as a whole. This implied the preparation of the conference venue, the reception of participants and speakers, the distribution of badges and conference binder and the technical assistance to the speakers. Ecologic’s conference staff assured that all participants of the workshops felt well attended and were helped with any requests they might have had.

Social events

On the evenings of each first workshop day, Ecologic organised a social event, for example a dinner reception, a guided boat trip etc. The special atmospheres of these social events provided a casual ambience and fostered an informal exchange between the participants

Dinner for speakers and chairpersons

In the evening prior to the event, speakers and chairpersons were invited to a restaurant for dinner. This meeting served as an opportunity for a last briefing and co-ordination of the next day's event. Ecologic, supported by local partners, selected and booked a restaurant.

2.3.13 Summary of the workshops

After each workshop a summary of 5-10 pages was produced by Ecologic with the help of the other partners. The summaries were put on the website for dissemination after the Commission’s approval.

9

2.4 Work Package 3: Concluding ConferenceThe concluding one day conference took place on 9 September 2008 in Brussels in the Renaissance Brussels Hotel.

The conference was organised in the same way as the workshops (see above).

Ecologic prepared and organised the final conference, which summarised the results of the project and produced recommendations. For the widest possible dissemination of findings and recommendations, particular senior executives were approached on bilateral basis, using the network of Deutsche Bahn and partners, such as Schenker and Siemens as well as the overall ETTAR network.

The conference assembled altogether 60 participants (36 participants excluding the project team), in particular senior participants, able to multiply the conference’s messages in the most effective way. The senior executives represented firms such as Schenker, Deutsche Post, Kühne und Nagel, Nestlé, PIK, DHL, Railog AB and others.

Ecologic sent out 798 invitations on 12 March 2008 to potential senior executives. 784 Reminders followed on August, 7 2008 and on 27 August 2008.

The conference consisted of two key note speeches, a session of four working groups and a report back of the results to the plenary. The conference also included a panel discussion, where key questions of improving transport sustainability were treated by representatives of different stakeholders. Andreas R. Kraemer moderated the panel discussion and Grit Martinez delivered the concluding remarks.

Ecologic had several agreements with the hotel venue, for example only seasonal regional food was served as well as tab water in carafes. Furthermore, Ecologic organised the display of pictures featuring ‘green transportation’ in the foyer in front of the main conference room. The slide show was supported by Siemens.

One of the highlights of the conference was a live performance with two international working actors with the title “What’s in the Way: Classical weaknesses of the Transport Industry”. The performance was filmed by a professional camera crew and is available on DVD.

10

2.5 Work Package 4: Policy Brief WP 4 was geared towards the development of Policy Briefs.

Policy Briefs are 10-15 page documents intended to inform about the discussions and results of the ETTAR project and to derive from this policy conclusions for the European Commission and the Member States.

Based on the Background Notes and the results of the events, two Policy Briefs were developed. The focus as well as the structure of each Policy Brief were discussed and agreed upon in detail with the Commission. After the Commission’s approval the policy briefs were put on the website for dissemination. All the partners linked their website to the policy briefs.

Policy Brief 1

Policy Brief 1 entitled “Recommendations for greening freight transport” described the drivers and barriers promoting or inhibiting the uptake of a business case for sustainable transport solutions. It furthermore established a parallel between the (historic) successful developments of energy efficiency policies with the (current) search of a sustainable improvement in freight transport policies.

Policy Brief 1 was developed between January and April 2008, main contributors were Ecologic, CTC and Enviros.

Policy Brief 2

Policy Brief 2 entitled “Striving for sustainable freight transport” gave a complete reflection of the ETTAR project’s findings. It included concrete policy recommendations based on the contributions and opinions of the majority or at least a considerable part of the participants. Furthermore, it outlined possible ways for the freight industry to advance voluntarily in the field of sustainability.

Policy Brief 2 was developed from August to November 2008 and was revised once in its entirety following discussions with the Commission. Main contributors were Ecologic and Deutsche Bahn.

2.6 Work Package 5: Dissemination of resultsThe overarching objective of the ETTAR project was to reach out to key target groups in the freight transport sector, namely the European transport industry, policy-makers, relevant intergovernmental organisations and NGOs and the scientific community. WP 5 was a summarising work package and covered the acitivities needed for the effective dissemination of the project results namely:

11

All deliverables are published on the ETTAR website (www.ettar.eu). The project website was regularly updated by Ecologic in co-operation. In particular, the website now contains the revised versions of the Policy Briefs and other documents and information relating to all ETTAR events. The publication of all deliverables on the ETTAR website are available free of charge. (download).

The active involvement of business associations in the ETTAR workshops and the final conference as participants and multiplicators. Enterprises such as UPM, DHL, Ford, Nestlé, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the European Intermodal Association were frequently participating in the ETTAR events and showed strong interest in the E-learning specification. In addition, UPM started investigations to carry out a pilot project searching for the most environmental friendly transport route in a selected area of its transportation system.

The ETTAR website, Policy Briefs and Background Notes served as key reference documents for the participants of the ETTAR events. In addition, the participating business associations have been asked to use the ETTAR material when informing their members.

The project team liased and invited journalists to the ETTAR events. Several press releases were prepared in the aftermath of the workshops in Gothenburg and Prague and have been placed on the ETTAR website and send to the Commisson and partners. Further articles were published on the ClimateChangeCorp.com news website, an independent news website dedicated to providing high quality news and analysis on climate change to companies around the world. (http://www.climatechangecorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5486)

A Dinner Dialogue took place on the evening before the third ETTAR workshop on the 16th April in Berlin. Selected international transport and policy experts met with their Berlin counterparts and the ETTAR consortial members. Chatham House rules applied in order to be able to debate beyond official positions. The Dinner Dialogue was moderated by R. Andreas Kraemer (Director, Ecologic Institute). After a short welcome and introduction by the moderator, an opening statement was given by the guest of honour. The statement served as basis for the subsequent discussion among all dinner participants. Dining, speaking and listening takes place concurrently. The event was attended by 20 participants representing the major stakeholders of the ETTAR project.

The Ettar project manager and team members disseminated the project materials and deliverables on several events, namely at the Green Logistics Forum (www.greenlogisticsforum.net), the International Transport Forum (www. http://www.internationaltransportforum.org) and the Metropolis Congress (www.metropoliscongress2008.com).

2.6.1 ETTAR Platform

Project Website

The ETTAR platform was created by Ecologic and after consultation with the ETTAR partners. The external domain www.ettar.eu was used and a special ETTAR logo was designed. The purpose of the platform is to enhance the external dissemination of the

12

project, its workshops and results and to serve as an internal virtual discussion forum for ETTAR partners.

The platform shows on the left hand side vertical navigation bars displaying key parameters of the project (objectives, results, links, partners and contacts). On a horizontal axis the visitor is guided through the workshops and final conference. All logistical information relevant for the participants (e.g. location, accommodation, travel information) as well as background information, the conference programme and an online registration form were provided. After the conference, all Powerpoint presentations and a final list of participants were made available for download.

Ecologic kept the external area up to date and relevant and was posting new and relevant documents to the internal area.

Partner Area

In addition, to the unrestricted project website, a password protected website (partner area) for the partner was set up. It consisted of a Filesharing which as a central platform for the internal exchange of working drafts, key documents and presentations. Other sections of the partner area were dedicated to the exchange of administrative information such as project management, teleconferences, and meetings. Ahead of ETTAR meetings, relevant documents and information were posted in this section. Subsequently, meeting documents were (if necessary) completed, revised etc. and reposed on the website. These documents remain available on the website in the partner area

2.7 Work Package 6: E-learning specification, lead by University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainsable Leadership

A specification of a low-cost E-learning module to increase awareness in the transport industry of the business benefits of environmental sustainability was designed in the period between March and August 2008. The completed specification was sent to the Comission for review at the end of July, and amendments based on his feedback were incorporated in August. The completed specification was subsequently published on the partner area of the ETTAR website.

The detailed design work kicked off with a discussion at the workshop in Prague on the content and overall scope of the specification. An audience of potential users gave the E-learning team the opportunity of identifying requirements – i.e. answering the question: what is the training need? The consensus that emerged from that and subsequent discussions was that the lack of progress towards more sustainable freight transport would not be solved by providing training about technical aspects of technology. Delegates felt that there was already adequate information available. The more important need was for employees to become more aware of the need for a change in behaviour and to understand the business arguments as well as to recognise that they themselves could influence events and start to bring about change.

After this workshop, a small expert group consisting of a logistics provider (Deutsche Bahn), a logistics user (3M) and two academics specialising in this field met with the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership E-learning team and the ETTAR project manager to decide on the learning objectives and discuss the most important high-level

13

messages that the E-learning should cover (use the best mode - especially avoid air freight; optimise vehicle utilisation - don't transport air ; Co-operate/collaborate and share information; Consider the entire supply chain; Implement new technologies; Introduce measurement systems – change is more likely if it can be measured; Make a start – even if you are not able to solve all problems, you can do something). It was decided that each of these messages would form the subject of one module. Each of these would form the basis of a realistic business scenario lasting between 5 and 10 minutes in which the user must make a number of choices, to which he or she is given feedback.

These were circulated and reviewed and then the partners in the ETTAR team worked in smaller sub-groups to develop storylines for the 7 modules. A number of team conference calls were held in order to ensure that the various modules complemented one another but avoided unnecessary duplication. Storylines were developed in Word and reviewed in that format before being transferred to Powerpoint templates and then re-reviewed.

The course, which has been called Routes to a Greener Future, is built of 7 modules preceded by a short introduction that sets the scene, answers the question why the environment is an issue for the freight industry and outlines some of the main impacts. The course concluded by drawing all of the topics together and encouraging the user to see that however large the challenge, they could make a contribution. The specification is written in Powerpoint, so that the main elements of each screen could be shown in a simplified graphical format, i.e. using wireline diagrams, clipart etc. The final module which drew all of the topics together and encouraged the user to see that, however large the challenge, they could make a contribution, also contains a Word file, in which the user is helped to draw up a personal action plan.

Organisations have free access to the specification, which has been published on the ETTAR web site. During and since the conference in Brussels, there has been some interest from specific organisations including DHL, Nestlé, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the European Intermodal Association. The specification contained a note acknowledging the financial support of the European Commission’s 6th framework programme.

3 Using and disseminating the knowledgeThe ETTAR knowledge has been captured in the project deliverables and will be permanently accessible on the ETTAR website.

During and since the concluding conference in Brussels, there has been interest from specific organisations including DHL, Nestlé, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the European Intermodal Association to disseminate the specification in their organizations and through their networks. University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainable Leadership together with Ecologic as the project leader is consequently following up on this primary audience for the E-learning specification, namely larger companies, including both suppliers and purchasers of logistics services. Although SMEs would benefit, they can also be persuaded to change behaviour as a result of pressure from the large companies to whom they contract. In some cases, larger companies might feel it worthwhile to make the E-learning available also to their subcontractors. Within a company, in addition to those whose job function involves procurement or selling of transport services, there are

14

staff, such as employees in finance departments, whose influence on transport decisions is less direct but nevertheless significant.

The following tables show potential users within the public and the private sectors. (Note the brighter the yellow, the more important this group as an audience for the E-learning.)

a) private sector

Job function User of E-learning?

CxOs, VPs, Board level execs, company secretaries

Will not normally undertake E-learning – need some other form of awareness-raising such as executive programmes or knowledge-sharing amongst peer groups

Procurement depts (buying organisations inc govt) and sales depts (logistics providers)

The core audience for this E-learning tutorial

Regional management, operations depts, financial managers, communications managers, engineering managers

Secondary audience for this E-learning tutorial. They do not make the direct decisions affecting transport but they do influence the decisions.

Transport managers / carriers Less likely to undertake E-learning but could be encouraged to do so by the logistics companies to whom they contract.

Drivers Probably without regular access to PC so more suited to other sorts of training such as eco-driving

b) public sector

Job function User of E-learning?

Ministers and top civil servants Will not normally undertake E-learning – need some other form of awareness-raising such as executive programmes or knowledge-sharing amongst industry and public sector peer groups

Procurement staff in the public sector Core audience for this E-learning tutorial

Managerial staff in the public sector who can influence transport policy

Core audience for this E-learning tutorial

Other public sector employees without direct responsibility for transport decisions

Secondary audience for this E-learning tutorial.

15

4 Results and ConclusionsThe ETTAR project has shown that the logistic industry and their customers face a considerable number of opportunities to improve the environmental performance of the sector. However, options have to be discussed on how incentives could be created for the implementation of new technologies and the integration of sustainable options.

Thus, policy makers should consider a mix of instruments to achieve the wanted steering effects in the transport sector. The overall goal remains: the environmental performance of the different transport modes has to be reflected in the market prices. Only if the environmental and safety performance of the different transport modes are reflected more strongly in pricing will they influence the customer’s economic decision on which mode of transport to use and thus help to contribute towards the development of a sustainable transport system.

Before any further policy action is taken by the Commission, the freight transport industry has many possibilities to improve their environmental performance voluntarily and to anticipate any possible tightening of standards. Transport buyers and civil society can, in turn, exert considerable pressure on the transport providers to adopt sustainable transport technologies.

And as long as is it is still the simplest way and in most cases the more favourable alternative to stick to unsustainable solutions business leaders (transport buyers as well as providers) will usually not change their decision making process. The reason why the process is slow is that business leaders in general do not see any (immediate) benefits from investing in environmental technologies. These benefits and respective incentives have to be developed and implemented, while using comprehensive networks between the different parties in the transport sector, including industry, policy-makers and NGOs. At the same time, it is necessary to identify and to make clear the opportunities and risks that will result if sustainable solutions are not tackled - particularly with regard to the challenge of climate change and in the long run the increasing costs to arise by reason of adapting to climate change.

E-learning is a tool that can be used to raise awareness and to stimulate the development of sustainable transport scenarios amongst freight transport suppliers and customers. In the E-learning tutorial that has been developed in the ETTAR project, freight transport customers and providers are presented with some of the challenges and dilemmas facing the logistics industry. Throughout, it is made clear that as well as facing urgent environmental challenges, there are real business opportunities for logistics organizations. The objective of E-learning is to change the mindset rather than to merely give information. The essential message is that businesses need to act to reduce the harmful environmental effects of freight transport, and that if it is not done voluntarily, there will be pressures both from governments and consumers (society) that will bring about changes in ways that may be hardly comfortable for the industry.

16