Context

While the Government has made significant progress in decarbonising cars, through policies that have accelerated the adoption of electric vehicles and tightened emissions standards, freight decarbonisation has largely been overlooked.

This gap is concerning given that freight transport accounts for a substantial and growing share of transport emissions. Without targeted policies and investment in zero-emission freight technologies, including electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), achieving the UK’s broader transport decarbonisation goals, and by extension, its net zero commitments, will be extremely challenging.

Addressing freight emissions is not only essential for environmental reasons, but also presents a major opportunity to drive innovation, improve air quality, and boost economic competitiveness in the UK’s logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Our activity

Transport & Environment aimed to engage parliamentarians through a programme of briefings, meetings, and events designed to raise awareness of freight decarbonisation and unlock policy opportunities.

In partnership with Transport & Environment, Seahorse facilitated a series of targeted engagements, including one-on-one meetings and briefings with MPs to present key findings and build support.

These efforts culminated in two parliamentary drop-in events. The first focused on the economic and supply chain opportunities linked to freight decarbonisation. To support this, Seahorse developed constituency-level benefit maps, helping MPs understand the local advantages of policy action.

To build on the momentum of the first drop-in, the second event featured an electric heavy goods vehicle (HGV) on display in Old Palace Yard, offering parliamentarians a hands-on opportunity to engage with the technology and gain a clearer understanding of the environmental and economic benefits of electrifying freight transport. Co-ordinating with the parliamentary estate and Westminster Council, Seahorse brought a 40-tonne EV HGV to policy makers and showed them first-hand what the future of freight could look like.

Our impact

We secured strong cross-party participation, reflecting broad political interest in the issue of freight decarbonisation. The drop-in events offered a unique and impactful platform for dialogue - bringing together parliamentarians, civil servants, and industry leaders to explore practical, evidence-based solutions. Through these engagements, Seahorse helped Transport & Environment translate their policy vision into meaningful political traction, building support for their policy asks and laying the ground for future collaboration, and the potential for long-term policy change in support of greener, more sustainable freight transport.