Episode 15: The Catalyst Series | Scaling Impact – Microsoft's Strategy for Zero-Emission Freight
Episode 14: The Catalyst Series | Scaling Impact – Microsoft's Strategy for Zero-Emission Freight
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In the launch episode of The Catalyst Series, part of the Smart Freight Conversations podcast, Smart Freight Centre CEO Christoph Wolff sits down with Nico De Golia, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at Microsoft Logistics, for a deep and wide-ranging conversation on what it takes to truly decarbonize freight – and do so at scale.
Recorded live at the SFC US Fall Meeting in Seattle, hosted by Microsoft, this episode highlights Microsoft’s systematic, data-driven, and collaborative approach to achieving its sustainability goals, particularly within freight and logistics.
From Ambition to Action
Microsoft’s 2020 sustainability commitments were ambitious: carbon negative across all scopes by 2030, water positive, zero waste, and protecting more land than it uses. Five years later, the company still sees those goals as achievable – but more challenging than ever. As Nico explains, “The moon feels like it’s moved,” referring to the difficulty of deploying decarbonisation solutions quickly enough to meet those targets.
Freight as a Strategic Unlock
While freight emissions may represent a relatively small slice of Microsoft’s total emissions, the company sees logistics as a strategic unlock for broader decarbonisation across Scope 3 categories. Freight data and investments are already influencing progress in other areas, from business travel to data center operations, creating a ripple effect that extends beyond logistics.
The Power of Book and Claim
One of the central themes in this episode is the importance of Book and Claim systems. Nico describes how this approach allows Microsoft to invest in clean transport fuels and technologies, even if they’re not physically used on their specific freight routes. Book and Claim enables companies to scale their climate impact by separating the environmental benefit from the physical movement of goods, a critical tool for accelerating market transformation.
Electrifying the I-10 Corridor
The conversation also explores Microsoft’s leadership in launching the I-10 electric truck corridor initiative–a multi-stakeholder effort to decarbonize freight transport across one of the busiest corridors in the United States. Together with Smart Freight Centre, IKEA, PepsiCo, Maersk, and others, Microsoft is working to overcome infrastructure, investment, and coordination barriers that stand in the way of widespread zero-emission trucking.
Key Takeaways for Practitioners
To wrap up the conversation, Nico shares three pieces of advice for companies at the beginning of their freight decarbonization journey:
1. Collaborate deeply – internally and across the value chain.
2. Treat sustainability as an investment, not just a cost.
3. Just get started. Don’t wait for perfection or complete information – progress comes through learning and iteration.
Listen to the full episode to learn how one of the world’s leading companies is scaling impact, influencing supply chain transformation, and helping to accelerate the shift toward zero-emission freight.