CHEP, part of the Brambles Group, operates the world’s largest pool of reusable pallets and containers, enabling a circular ‘share and reuse’ model that inherently reduces waste and emissions. This model is at the heart of CHEP sustainability strategy, which is guided by a bold vision: to create regenerative supply networks that go beyond sustainability to restore and replenish the planet.
Five years after embracing this regenerative vision, CHEP has demonstrated its feasibility across multiple facets of the business. The company’s recently published Annual Sustainability Review highlights significant progress, including the successful integration of regenerative principles into operations, logistics, procurement, and product design.
As CHEP enters the first year of its 2030 Sustainability Programme, the company continues to pursue a regenerative vision, with nature at its core.
Back in 2021, CHEP parent company, Brambles, committed to supporting the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels, with a bold target of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 (ten years ahead of the global benchmark).
To drive this ambition, its Sustainability team developed a publicly available roadmap with short, medium, and long-term targets that reflect a holistic approach to environmental responsibility:
- Short-term 2025 targets (already achieved):
- 100% renewable electricity in operations
- Carbon neutrality in Scope 1 and 2 emissions
- Mid-term 2030 Science-Based Targets (SBTs):
- 42% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions (2020 baseline)
- 17% reduction in Scope 3 emissions (2020 baseline)
- Long-term target:
- Net-zero emissions across Scope 1, 2 & 3 by 2040, covering 100% of operational and value chain emissions.
- To ensure these ambitious goals translate into real-world impact, CHEP has embedded sustainability into its strategic and financial decision-making. This means that environmental considerations influence everything from capital allocation and procurement to product design. Proof of this are the key levers that the company has activated to meet its decarbonisation targets:
- Asset efficiency: Maximizing reuse and recovery of platforms to reduce waste and resource consumption.
- Renewable electricity: “We’ve reached 100% renewable electricity across all CHEP-operated sites globally. Now, we’re focused on expanding renewable energy use across our third-party logistics partners and production facilities, ensuring that every part of our supply network supports our sustainability goals.” — Gabriel Ivan, General Manager CHEP România & Bulgaria.
- Network productivity: optimising logistics through route efficiency, use of mega-trucks, and digital tools that help identify transport collaboration opportunities to reduce empty miles and emissions through AI and real-time data analytics.
- Enabling the testing of alternative fuels: zero emissions transport technologies (such as electric and hydrogen trucks) and alternative fuels for heating.
- Reducing the volume of waste: diverting it from landfill to low or zero emissions processes. 94% of CHEP and outsourced locations now operate with zero product waste to landfill, demonstrating a strong commitment to circularity and waste minimisation.
By aligning internal processes with its regenerative vision, CHEP ensures that sustainability is not just a goal, but a guiding principle across the business.
Moreover, collaboration plays a vital role in scaling this impact. Working closely with suppliers, customers, and industry partners, CHEP fosters innovation and accelerates progress toward shared sustainability objectives.
Measurable Impact
CHEP sustainability efforts have delivered tangible results:
- In FY25, Brambles’ Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions decreased by 17.2% compared to FY20 baseline.
- Maintained 100% renewable electricity and carbon neutrality in our own operations (Scope 1 and 2).
- 1,992.2 kilotonnes of CO₂-e avoided in customer supply chains in FY25 in comparison to non-pooled solutions.
- 1,339.1 kilotonnes of waste diverted from landfill, equivalent to 184,00 garbage trucks.
- 89 million kilometres and 96,000 tonnes of CO₂-e saved through logistics optimisation.
- 637 customers engaged in collaborative sustainability projects.
- 100% of timber used is sustainably sourced, with 85.7% Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certified.
- 94% of CHEP and outsourced locations operate with zero product waste to landfill.
Innovation and collaboration for regenerative supply chains
CHEP digital innovation enables global scalability. Operating in approximately 60 countries, the company leverages AI, autonomous tracking, and real-time emissions monitoring to enhance environmental and operational performance. These innovations support a more efficient, transparent, and sustainable supply network.
But technology alone isn’t enough. CHEP understands that building regenerative supply chains requires strong collaboration across the value chain. That’s why the company actively engages stakeholders across the value chain – including suppliers, logistics partners, producers and retailers – to co-develop solutions that amplify circularity and reduce environmental impact. From durable, repairable pallet designs that minimise the use of virgin materials to joint initiatives that optimise transport and reduce waste, CHEP partnerships are designed to deliver shared value and measurable progress.
This collaborative approach also extends to workplace culture, where CHEP is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment—ensuring that regeneration is not only about the planet, but also about people. “We continue to leverage our deep expertise to demonstrate the value of a circular economy, and to find new ways to partner across industries, bringing together the skills and know-how to develop innovative solutions that benefit all that are touched by our supply network.” – Gabriel Ivan, General Manager, CHEP România & Bulgaria.
