CO₂ Calculation per Shipment

Why is CO₂ Calculation Important?

There are several reasons why businesses – both large and small – are increasingly working with CO₂ calculation per shipment:

• Climate regulations and legislation: Multiple EU directives and national initiatives require documentation of climate impact.

• Consumer demands and B2B transparency: Customers and partners expect more openness about environmental impact.

• Sustainable optimization: Emissions data enables businesses to optimize routes, modes of transport, and packaging.

• Internal measurement and strategy: CO₂ figures per shipment can be used as key figures in a company’s ESG reporting.

In the supply chain and logistics industries especially, CO₂ calculation has become a vital tool to identify and reduce unnecessary emissions – for instance, by avoiding empty runs, optimizing inventory management, planning smarter purchasing management, or consolidating orders more efficiently.

How Does CO₂ Calculation per Shipment Work?

When a company calculates the CO₂ emissions for a shipment, the following factors are typically taken into account:

• Mode of transport (truck, ship, train, air, etc.)

• Distance (number of kilometers from sender to recipient)

• Weight and volume of the shipped goods

• Type and efficiency of fuel (e.g., electric, diesel, LNG, etc.)

• Consolidation and load factor (how full the vehicle is)

Many businesses use standardized emission factors, making it possible to calculate CO₂ emissions per km and per kg. Others use advanced calculation tools or integrate solutions provided by their transport and logistics partners.

How is CO₂ Calculation Connected to Inventory and Logistics?

While CO₂ calculation is often associated with the transport element of a shipment, internal processes such as inventory management, order handling, and procurement also have a significant impact on overall CO₂ emissions. Through better planning and system support, companies can reduce both waste and unnecessary shipments.

Here are a few ways inventory and logistics influence emissions:

• Efficient inventory management reduces the need for urgent shipments by ensuring goods are stored correctly and are always available when needed.

• Using a WMS (Warehouse Management System) provides better visibility, fewer errors, and a more stable goods flow, reducing the need for extra transportation.

• Smart order handling makes it easier to consolidate multiple orders into a single shipment – lowering both costs and CO₂ footprint.

• Optimized procurement ensures that you only purchase what you need, when you need it – helping to avoid unnecessary transport and overstocking.

• Predictability in the supply chain reduces the risk of last-minute solutions such as express delivery, which often has a higher CO₂ cost.

In short: CO₂ calculation is not just about how the goods are shipped – but also about why and when. The better your internal processes are structured, the more sustainable your logistics setup will become.

Challenges in CO₂ Calculation per Shipment

Even though the ambition toward green transition is real and necessary, there are several challenges in calculating CO₂ emissions accurately:

• Data availability: It can be difficult to access accurate data from all parts of the transport chain.

• Varying standards: There are different methods of calculating emissions – and they don’t always yield the same results.

• Time and resources: Especially for smaller companies, it can be time-consuming to set up correct calculations.

• Balancing delivery speed: Fast delivery can increase the CO₂ footprint – and often, a trade-off must be made between climate impact and customer satisfaction.

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