Sustainable transport involves using environmentally friendly and socially responsible modes of transportation to minimize environmental impact. However, achieving this requires a holistic approach involving the requesters. For more than a decade, the ICRC has focused on improving forecasting and demand planning by fostering collaboration between supply chain teams and assistance colleagues, who place the orders. This coordination ensures sufficient time is available to select the most appropriate mode of transport. As a result, most ICRC goods are now transported by sea, with only about 4% shipped by air from Geneva (GVA) in terms of weight.

The most effective way to reduce transport emissions is to minimize the use of air transport, which is around 90% reduction when those goods are sent by sea instead of by air. While some urgent air shipments, such as small medical deliveries, are unavoidable, the ICRC has been actively innovating to explore alternative solutions, including reducing the distance traveled for essential air shipments.

Initiatives implemented to reduce the environmental impact of ICRC transport operations the result of collaborative efforts with the transport team:

• Prioritizing sea and rail transport: Routes are constantly reviewed to favor sea and rail transportation whenever feasible. For example, in Ethiopia, goods are transported by rail, serving as one of our best practices.

• Optimizing the pick and pack process: In the main ICRC warehouse in Satigny, orders are now pick and pack by destination and country rather than by order of arrival, enabling larger volumes to be shipped together in one consignment.

• Defining pre-determined modes of transport: Clear guidelines have been established for supply chain teams in Belgrade to select the appropriate mode of transport.

• Focusing on full container shipments: Full containers are prioritized over half-full containers to maximize efficiency.  A study conducted through the Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance (SSCA) project analyzed transport data from four countries with high levels of air freight. It concluded that even when containers are only half-full (reefer or non-reefer), shipping them by sea is still more cost-effective. While this approach may lead to longer lead times that need to be taken into the planning considerations, it reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 94-95%, depending on the container type.

• Reducing air freight through direct sea shipments: With support from the supply chain team, regular container shipments to specific destinations have been introduced. This initiative has significantly reduced the volume of goods transported by air.

• Reducing emissions by choosing the direct airline: The organization has integrated distance as a key criterion in its internal software to help select the most efficient transport options. This system considers the kilometers traveled based on the chosen company and the hub used to reach the destination from Geneva. Although direct flights are preferable for reducing emissions, they are not always feasible. In such cases, minimizing the total distance traveled becomes critical to reducing the environmental impact of air shipments.

Currently, the ICRC does not pay additional costs for direct shipping; however, data gathered throughout 2025 will enable more precise cost-benefit analyses. Initial findings indicate that in some cases, prioritizing shorter routes or direct options does not significantly increase costs and can sometimes even be cost-neutral. As a result, adjustments have already been made where feasible, demonstrating the potential for sustainable practices without major financial implications.