The Driver Services

Sysco agrees to reduce emissions in accord with the 2015 Paris Agreement

Houston-based food service equipment distributor Sysco has announced it will commit to electrify 35% of its fleet by 2030. The company’s new emissions reduction program, laid out in its 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, is in alignment with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

In the report, Sysco said it will reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 27.5% by 2030 and make sure suppliers covering 67% of Scope 3 emissions have established science-based targets by 2026.

Scope 3 emissions represent the “largest opportunity for impact” because they make up 98% of the company’s carbon footprint through food production and transportation between farmers, suppliers and clients.

The report said, “Increasing the electrification of our fleet is a primary way we can reduce our direct emissions. We are currently focused on our U.S.based tractor fleet, as this is our largest contributor of emissions, and will expand our efforts to other markets in the future.”

Sysco has already made progress on the supply side of its move to reduce emissions. At least 80 of its suppliers, who represent nearly 30% of its 2019 emissions, have committed or set science-based targets, according to the company's report.

The pilot program indicated the vehicle could act as a regional hauler and could service most of the company’s routes on a single charge with loads of up to 82,000 pounds. The new trucks will meet the unique transportation needs for food distribution.

Sysco is working to deploy a group of electric vehicles in 2023 at its Riverside, California site. It has also pre-ordered 50 electric Tesla trucks and is working to also reduce its carbon footprint in the rest of the world.

As part of electrifying its fleet, Sysco has been trying out a battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia in San Francisco.