German logistics technology company Logward is offering customers using its software for route planning and procurement the ability to calculate expected carbon emissions, free of charge.

Logward’s tools empower shippers to compare estimated emissions for route and transport mode options at the planning stage, while also enabling the measurement of aggregated data for the entire organisation retroactively. Logward decided to provide this new capability to its clients for free after their 2020 supply chain data survey revealed that less than 30% of shippers were aware of their CO2 impact.

The tool considers distance, mode, vehicle and fuel type, and more, and relies on emission factors, which are trade lane specific CO2 estimates based on verified carrier reports to the Clean Cargo Working Group. The calculator is built on the Ecotransit model, a Global Logistics Emissions Council-approved methodology.

At the individual shipment level, CO2 calculations can consider door-to-door, port-to-port, or any combination therein.

Customers can not only see the carbon footprint at the individual level but also at an aggregated organisational level. In the CO2 Dashboard, shippers get an overview of their shipments and corresponding carbon footprint with the ability to drill down based on several filters including time, carrier, forwarder, geography, and more. This permits shippers to take their CO2 considerations and turn them into strategy decisions.

Integrating this feature with the shipment planning phase comes on the heels of publicly releasing a freebie on the company website, which allow users to calculate carbon output on an ad-hoc basis. Users not only receive a raw total in tons, but also a detailed report for each leg of the shipment including type of emissions and distance.