Logistics operators face a fuel-dominated footprint and increasingly rigorous customer requirements for shipment-level carbon data. The GLEC Framework and its ISO successor ISO 14083 provide the sector-specific methodology.
The footprint shape
- Scope 1 — diesel and other fuels in owned fleet.
- Scope 2 — electricity for warehouses, EV charging, refrigerated distribution centres.
- Scope 3 — subcontracted transport (category 4 upstream / 9 downstream), fuel and energy-related emissions (category 3), employee commuting (7).
For asset-light 3PLs, Scope 3 category 4/9 dominates. For asset-heavy carriers, Scope 1 dominates.
ISO 14083 in practice
ISO 14083 defines emission intensity by transport chain element (TCE) — origin to destination, per mode:
Emissions per shipment = Payload × Distance × Emission intensity factor
Where the emission intensity factor differs by mode (road, rail, sea, air, inland waterway), vehicle class, fuel and load factor.
Data sources
- Owned fleet — telematics and fuel-card data (most accurate).
- Subcontracted road — carrier-provided or GLEC default factors.
- Ocean and air — carrier data via schemes such as Clean Cargo (ocean) and IATA CO₂ Connect (air).
- Warehouses — utility meters plus refrigerant service records.
Reduction levers
- Route and load optimisation — telematics, TMS integration, backhaul.
- Modal shift — road to rail / short-sea for long-haul.
- Fleet renewal and electrification — see our fleet decarbonisation guide.
- Alternative fuels — HVO, biomethane for medium-term bridge.
- Warehouse efficiency — LED, HVAC, refrigeration upgrades.
- Supplier engagement — subcontractor emissions expectations.
Customer-facing reporting
Shippers now demand shipment-level CO₂e for Scope 3 category 4. GLEC/ISO 14083 outputs feed customer sustainability dashboards and are audit-relevant.
Financing
- Green Loans — EV fleet, charging, warehouse retrofits.
- Sustainability-Linked Loans — gCO₂/tkm KPI is now standard.
Frequently asked questions
Do we use well-to-wheel or tank-to-wheel factors?+
ISO 14083 and GLEC require well-to-wheel — including upstream fuel emissions. GHG Protocol allows either but expects transparency.
How do we account for empty running?+
GLEC and ISO 14083 include empty running in the intensity factor. Improving load factor reduces emissions per tkm.
Is air freight always the worst?+
Per tkm, yes — typically 20–50× ocean and 5–10× road. But mode choice is often driven by lead-time constraints; report actuals rather than defaults.
This article follows Redigo Carbon's editorial standards: factual claims reference recognised frameworks — GHG Protocol, CSRD, ESRS, the Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles, the Green Loan Principles — and Redigo's opinions are labelled as such.
What this article is based on.
- GHG Protocol — Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard — GHG Protocol
- GHG Protocol — Scope 2 Guidance — GHG Protocol
- GHG Protocol — Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard — GHG Protocol
- ISO 14064-1 — Corporate greenhouse gas inventories — ISO
- ISO 14083 — Quantification of GHG emissions from transport operations — ISO
- IEA — World Energy Outlook & sectoral net-zero scenarios — International Energy Agency
Redigo Carbon distinguishes between regulatory requirements, industry standards, best practice and Redigo's own recommendations. See our editorial standards for how we research, cite and update this content.
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