Case study: Logistics and Supply Chain
How a Global Logistics Company Gives Every Customer a Carbon Footprint Report for Their Shipments
One of the world's leading logistics companies turned a customer question into a commercial advantage.
Working with GovEVA since 2022, it has connected emissions data from its operations around the world on a single digital platform, and now produces a carbon footprint report for each customer covering shipments by ocean, air, road and rail.
Basecamp: The Challenge
Customers wanted emissions data that freight systems were never built to produce
The client is one of the world's leading freight companies. It combines shipments from many customers into containers and moves them through a global network of trade routes. Requests for emissions data were arriving faster than manual processes could answer them.
What is the carbon footprint of my shipments?
The question freight customers now ask, and one their logistics partners rarely had to answer before.
Customer demand
Customers were asking for the carbon footprint of their own transactions, across every mode their goods traveled by, along with sustainability and benchmarking reports.
Scale
A vast geographic footprint meant different reporting standards and compliance requirements from one market to the next.
Building a foundation
The company was looking to build a structured foundation for measuring its greenhouse gas emissions and other sustainability metrics.
A changing organization
For a global company with multiple entities, restructuring, mergers and spin-offs meant the organization structure behind the data kept moving.
Ascent: The Solution
One platform for emissions data, from shipment to boardroom
GovEVA set up a single system that connects data from the company's operations worldwide and works in three steps. It collects operational data automatically, calculates emissions across every mode of transport, and reports them at whatever level the business needs: one customer, one group company or the whole group.
Collect
Operational data arrives on its own.
Automated data at volume
Data flows in automatically from the company's own systems, at more than 5 million entries a month.
A structure that mirrors the organization
Group companies across multiple countries are set up on the platform, with their data flowing into a single global view.
Controlled access
More than 1,000 users work on the platform, with access set by location, seniority and department.
Calculate
Emissions are calculated for every transaction.
All three scopes
Direct emissions, emissions from purchased energy and value chain emissions (known as Scope 1, 2 and 3) are measured on the platform.
Custom emission factors
GovEVA developed the conversion rates that turn an activity, such as distance shipped, into an emissions figure.
Customer by customer
Emissions are calculated at the level of each transaction, across ocean, air, road and rail, so they can be reported for individual customers.
Report
Each audience gets its own report.
Customer reports
Carbon footprint reports are generated for individual customers.
Sustainability and compliance reports
Reports aligned with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, and local compliance reports, are produced for four group companies using custom templates.
Leadership dashboards
Dashboards and custom analytics were built for senior executives and the board.
Training and support. Teams in multiple countries were trained on the platform, on the GRI standards and on local compliance requirements.
Summit: The Outcomes
From customer request to competitive advantage
- Offering carbon footprint reporting for logistics customers helped the company retain clients and open new business avenues.
- Each customer can now receive a shipment carbon footprint report covering its shipments by ocean, air, road and rail.
- Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions are measured on one platform instead of being compiled by hand.
- More than 5 million data entries a month feed multimodal freight emissions reporting automatically.
- Four group companies produce GRI sustainability reports and local compliance reports digitally.
- Logistics sustainability reporting from group companies around the world rolls up to a single global view.
- Senior executives and the board track performance on sustainability dashboards.
Why shipment-level emissions data matters in logistics
Emissions reporting is now a commercial capability for logistics companies as much as a compliance task.
When a company measures its full carbon footprint, the emissions from moving its goods count toward its own total. As more companies report on their whole value chain, they turn to carriers, freight forwarders and consolidators for the numbers.
Logistics providers that can supply accurate emissions data for each customer make themselves easier to buy from. Those that cannot risk being left out of bids.
Frequently asked questions
What is a customer carbon footprint report?
It is a report that shows the share of a logistics provider's emissions that comes from one customer's shipments, whatever mode they travel by. The customer can then use that figure in its own sustainability reporting.
What are Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?
They are the three categories used to measure a company's carbon footprint. Scope 1 covers emissions the company produces directly, such as fuel it burns. Scope 2 covers the electricity and energy it buys. Scope 3 covers everything else in its value chain, including the transport of its goods by other companies.
Can GovEVA support several companies and countries on one platform?
Yes. In this engagement, group companies in multiple countries feed a single global view, more than 1,000 users have access matched to their role, and reports are produced for four group companies.
Give your customers the emissions data they are asking for
Talk to GovEVA about shipment-level emissions reporting for your business.
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