How Belden uses BigMile to comply with emissions-related laws and regulations

As of 2024, it will become mandatory for Belden Wire & Cable to measure and report on its carbon emissions. In anticipation of this, the international wire and cable manufacturer has already joined forces with BigMile. “Thanks to BigMile, we will not only comply with the reporting obligation, but we’re also gaining a clear view of which steps we can take to reduce CO2,” says Joost Wetzels.

Company

Belden Wire & Cable

Employees

7700

Industry

Shipper

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Belden Wire & Cable is a global manufacturer and supplier of cable products, with production facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. According to Joost Wetzels, Logistics Manager at Belden Wire & Cable in the Dutch city of Venlo, the arrival of a new CEO prompted the company to start preparing for the upcoming emissions-related laws and regulations and to think about how Belden could best measure emissions.

“Since May 2020, we have had a Dutch CEO who is very focused on corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. To ensure we stay ahead of the curve, we defined an ESG strategy and targets in 2021, which included CO2 reduction targets by 2025.”

BigMile’s graphical user interface with interactive analysis gives us insights into which steps we can take to save CO2. For example, it became clear to us that we were causing a lot of CO2 emissions for some customers by sending them a large number of small shipments, resulting in high CO2 emissions per kilo or per shipment. This was not always necessary, so we’ve started a dialogue with some of those customers to reduce the shipment frequency.

Joost Wetzels, Logistics Manager

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Reduced shipment frequency

Julia Haab, an intern from the University of Stuttgart, conducted the company’s research into emissions measuring tools. She concluded that BigMile Carbon Analytics was the best solution for Belden. “I agreed with her conclusion,” Wetzels says. “Not only because the solution was recommended by industry association Evofenedex and is clearly based on international standards, but also because of its functionalities.”

One important functionality is data sharing with carriers, because Belden outsources its transport to around six different logistics service providers. In addition, Wetzels is particularly impressed by the visualization capabilities of the BigMile tool: “The graphical user interface with interactive analysis gives us insights into which steps we can take to save CO2. For example, it became clear to us that we were causing a lot of CO2 emissions for some customers by sending them a large number of small shipments, resulting in high CO2 emissions per kilo or per shipment. This was not always necessary, so we’ve started a dialogue with some of those customers to reduce the shipment frequency.”

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Just make a start

The use of BigMile by Belden in the Netherlands is the pilot for Belden worldwide. The next step could be to roll it out internationally: first in Europe, then in North America and possibly worldwide. “We haven’t quite reached that point yet, but we are well on our way,” states Wetzels. “And at least we now have access to information as the basis for steering. The best way to learn is by doing. Rather than spending time on working out all the tiny details, I firmly believe it’s more important to just make a start.”