The carbon footprint resulting from logistics activities is a major concern in the current climate crisis. For companies, this means rethinking all or part of their practices. What are the various strategies and effective tools for reducing the carbon footprint of your logistics? From measurement software to the use of low-carbon energies, via offsetting and insetting methods, let's take a look at the solutions that work.
The importance of reliable, uniform data
One of the first ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your logistics is to have unified, standardized transport data.
However, data is generally supplied by several forwarding agents, making it difficult to control and consolidate. As a result, basic information such as gross weight, origin, destination and mode of transport are sometimes inconsistent.
Choose measurement software
It should be noted that calculating carbon emissions is a downstream step, i.e. after the transport has been completed. It is nonetheless a priority, and provides the coherent, accurate data needed for modeling and optimization.
In this respect, the use of a Transport Management System (TMS) facilitates the collection and structuring of data, wherever it comes from and whatever its format. With such a system, data is uniform and accessible, eliminating the need to search through data scattered around freight forwarders.
At the same time, a TMS makes it possible to use a reliable methodology for calculating CO2 emissions, and to integrate this calculation automatically. In other words, the entire data preparation phase, on which the calculation is based, is already ready.
In the absence of an MSD, there are two possible scenarios:
- Either the shipper consolidates the transport data himself and calculates his direct and indirect CO2 emissions - the latter being much more difficult to obtain.
- Either forwarders provide emissions data for their respective transport activities.
In both cases, the risk of error is very high. And yet, to reduce carbon emissions, accuracy is essential.
The different levels of optimization
Optimizing the carbon footprint in logistics can be approached on three levels:
1. Basic: by comparing modes of transport. This involvesexamining air, sea and road transport to automatically select the most virtuous option in terms of CO2 emissions.
2. Intermediate: the aim here is to reduce emissions by avoiding the need to transport empty space. The TMS helps to consolidate orders and deliveries according to various parameters such as volume, pick-up date, product type and truck or container type.
3. Advanced: by combining the TMS with route optimization engines, shippers can guide freight forwarders in choosing the best routes, and can consider multimodal options right from the tendering phase.
Low-carbon energies
Choosing low-carbon energies for vehicles and ships is essential to reducing the carbon footprint of logistics.
This includes the use of :
- Hydrogen-powered trucks
- Electric trucks
- Biofuels for shipping
- Sustainable aviation fuels, etc.
In the case of hydrogen-powered long-haul trucks, manufacturers are forecasting a market launch between 2025 and 2027 - in other words, tomorrow. As for the European Commission, it expects 60,000 of these trucks on the road by 2030. Aircraft, meanwhile, face a major problem: kerosene is three times cheaper than SAF.
Offsetting vs. Insetting
When it comes to reducing or offsetting the carbon emissions generated by logistics, two distinct strategies can be implemented: offsetting and insetting. The choice between the two often depends on the environmental objectives and priorities of the company concerned.
Offsetting
This involves offsetting carbon emissions by investing in carbon sequestration projects: reforestation, tree planting, carbon capture and storage, or other initiatives to remove or reduce the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.
This approach enables companies to take immediate steps to offset their carbon footprint, even if they are unable to reduce emissions directly. However, the real effectiveness of some offsetting projects is questionable, as is the sustainability and permanence of the sequestration achieved.
Insetting
Here, on the other hand, companies act directly on the carbon footprint within the transport activities themselves. Rather than simply offsetting emissions, this approach aims to reduce them at source by implementing more sustainable and eco-responsible practices.
This means :
- Choosing cleaner fuels
- Optimize routes to reduce distance travelled
- Adopting more energy-efficient modes of transport
- Improving the energy efficiency of transport vehicles
Insetting therefore has a more immediate impact on emissions, so as to meet its long-term sustainability objectives.
Of course, the choice between offsetting and insetting depends on many factors - including available financial resources, environmental objectives and operational constraints.... -. But it is possible to combine the two strategies to achieve both short-term results through offsetting and long-term structural changes through insetting.
In the face of the climate emergency, which requires companies to make major efforts, logistics must find solutions. Among them, the integration of a TMS that automates the calculation of carbon emissions is essential. For it is thanks to this consolidated information that CO2 reduction becomes a reality.
