Investors pressure freight and logistics companies to tackle air pollution

A coalition of investors has urged freight and logistics companies to take urgent action on air pollution, which they argue should be viewed as a material financial risk.

In a statement signed by 31 institutional investors managing more than $1.8trn (€1.5trn), they said air pollution poses a risk to human health across their portfolios. The investors warn that transparent reporting on air pollution remains limited, with few companies in the freight and logistics sector acknowledging their contribution to harmful emissions.

Signatories include AkademikerPension, LBP AM, Ethos Foundation, Pension and Investment Research Consultants (PIRC) and Achmea.

Coordinated by responsible investment NGO ShareAction, the statement asks freight companies to embed air pollution into business strategy by improving disclosure, setting time-bound reduction targets, and accelerating the transition to cleaner fleets. It also calls for stronger regulatory frameworks and mandatory disclosures.

Justine Holmes, clean air lead at ShareAction, said: “Investors are rightly concerned about the lack of meaningful action from freight companies to reduce harmful pollutants from vehicle fleets. Air pollution is one of the most damaging health risks in investors’ portfolios, with associated healthcare costs and lost workforce productivity costing the global economy $6trn every year.”

Holmes added that air pollution remains underrecognised and inconsistently disclosed as a business risk across the sector.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, air pollution has overtaken tobacco use as the world’s second-leading risk factor for premature death.

The investors highlight that the statement comes at a time when regulatory scrutiny is intensifying. Companies operating corporate fleets now face strengthened air quality and vehicle emissions standards, taxes and penalties, including clean air zones and expanding disclosure requirements.

Litigation and operational disruption linked to air pollution are also on the rise, ShareAction added.

Camille Bisconte de Saint Julien, human rights and social lead at LBP AM, said: “Air pollution is a material environmental risk affecting human health in our portfolios. Companies in the freight and logistics sector need to recognise air quality as a strategic business issue.”

The investor statement builds on ShareAction’s research published in January, A Breath of Fresh Air, which highlighted the role of investors in accelerating progress towards cleaner air. The report described air pollution as “a real, systemic risk connected to climate change, nature loss and human rights”, arguing that addressing it is fundamental to protecting people and planet and building lasting value across portfolios.

Rikke Berg Jacobsen, chief of ESG at AkademikerPension, said: “Air pollution is an overlooked risk. We support this initiative because it highlights the need for the transport and logistics sector to treat air pollution as a core business issue, while emphasising that risks are often invisible, yet deeply consequential for the health of communities, workers and long-term economic resilience.”