e-freight.net is a collection of online tools and information to support the de-materialization of the documents used in commercial transportation of goods. This website is intended for use by transportation professionals of all sectors. Initial focus is on Air Cargo. Ocean Freight and Surface Transportation will be supported in the near future.

The number of documents used to support the transportation and declaration of goods is often excessive and, adds significant costs to trading. Numerous international organizations support the elimination or reduction of transport documents by dematerialization of supporting paperwork. This is normally done by replacing it with an electronic equivalent at the source. UN/EDIFACT messages or electronic XML documents are the preferred alternatives. The simple digitalization of paper documents in the existing format (E.g. Scan to PDF) is not the recommended solution.

Great efficiency gains and substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emission can be achieved with the adoption of e-freight. This has proven effective in other industries and, is confirmed by several case studies.

Quotes from international organizations:

IATA (International Air Transport Association)
"e-freight - Moving towards a paperless era - e-freight aims to take the paper out of air cargo and to replace it with the exchange of electronic data and messages."
"e-Air Waybill (e-AWB) - An industry initiative - Developed collaboratively with industry stakeholders, the e-Air Waybill (e-AWB) removes the requirement for a paper Air Waybill (AWB)."

UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe)
"Trade Facilitation - As the international focal point for trade facilitation standards and recommendations, UNECE develops instruments to reduce, harmonize and automate procedures and paperwork in international trade."

FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations)
“e-Freight Position Paper: The forwarding community which books and processes ‘ready for carriage ‘, over 80 % of the world’s air cargo consignments, welcomes initiatives to facilitate the movement of air cargo."