De-Carbon
Decarbonizing the Freight industry in and around LuxembourgStudio Head: Stefan Bendiks
According to the United Nations framework convention on climate change report of 2019, 49% of total carbon emissions in Luxembourg are from the transportation sector, and Road freight is accountable for more than 60% of emissions. Also, 8% of total global emissions are from Freight Transportation and it is expected to multiply 2 to 4 times by 2050.
The common denominator throughout the transport sector is trucks. It is estimated that there are around 6.2 million trucks circulating per year in the European Union.
To understand and read the territory of the freight industry in and around Luxembourg, the elements of freight infrastructure were mapped, such as the warehouses, cargo terminals, airport cargo yards, and logistics companies. The map reflects that most of this infrastructure is on the international borders of Luxembourg, which dictates the land value of warehousing in and around Luxembourg.
Apart from the carbon footprint for freight trucking, multiple areas known as Logistics’ Hidden Carbon Emissions were identified.
The main reason for impacting the freight infrastructure is the VAT Exempt policy of the Luxembourg government, which allows EU nations to store equipment in Luxembourg with a 17% VAT Exempt. This has resulted in a spatial impact on a massive scale throughout all the mediums of the freight transportation network.
To reap the benefits of the Luxembourg VAT Exempt policy, Most of the EU nations store goods in Luxembourg warehouses. This has increased the traffic flow of trucks in the region, which has resulted in increased carbon emissions.
On the other hand,
Steel Industry is declining in Luxembourg since 1975 due to a lack of demand, and high labor costs. Acler Mittal has already closed sites like Schifflange for steel production. As rail emits the least amount of carbon emissions, these sites could host production and storage for the future. Steel Industrial plants already have rail infrastructure which was initially used to transport steel.
The industrial plants can be a platform for a host of innovative production technologies which help Luxembourg to produce locally instead of importing goods from overseas, which would eventually bring down the carbon emissions from the transportation of goods drastically. The manpower from trucking companies could be trained in inventory management and can be the pilot centers. The distribution network will be comprised of cross-border freight trains for territorial cargo, and last mile distribution network for regional cargo
The industrial plants can be a platform for a host of innovative production technologies which help Luxembourg to produce locally instead of importing goods from overseas, which would eventually bring down the carbon emissions from the transportation of goods drastically. The manpower from trucking companies could be trained in inventory management and can be the pilot centers. The distribution network will be comprised of cross-border freight trains for territorial cargo, and last mile distribution network for regional cargo
To arrive at a site to deploy the stages of transition, steel industries in and around Luxembourg were mapped.
The sites were further analyzed to understand the context,scale, and impact of their respective regions
The proposal speculates and leverages on the existing Vat Exempt policy of the Luxembourg government by allowing the distribution of cargo through the means of last-mile mobility and a multi-modal transport network. The updated government policy also promotes the on-demand production of items locally by leveraging the existing infrastructure in Luxembourg. Thereby, eventually reducing dependency on other countries.
Phasing of last mile mobility and multi-modal transport network in the southwest region of Luxembourg.
Multi-Modal freight elements will be deployed in phases eventually forming a larger distribution network.
The paths of distribution will also intersect with the production site to maximize efficiency.
Multi-Modal freight elements will be deployed in phases eventually forming a larger distribution network.
The paths of distribution will also intersect with the production site to maximize efficiency.
The production sites will be the center of all the multimodal freight elements. The tram will not only be used to commute but also have a section for cargo bots and e-bikes.
The site plan reflects the intersection of all the different multi-modal freight systems at play
