Where do transport emissions come from?
When it comes to transport and travel within your organisation, there are several areas to examine when it comes to measuring them for your carbon footprint. These are spread across your scope 1 and 3 emissions. Find out more about Scope 1,2 & 3 Emissions in our article on Energy, The Basics. (https://greenzebra.io/energy/energy-the-basics/)
The areas to focus on are:
- Company cars
- Employee commuting
- Business Travel
- Supply Chain and Distribution
Company Cars
If you have company cars in your business then you will need to consider the emissions from these vehicles. These emissions count towards the Scope 1 part of your Carbon Footprint.
Employee commuting
How your employees travel to work is part of your company’s carbon footprint. The emissions from employee transport is included in your Scope 3 emissions. Emissions are calculated from all the forms of travel that your workforce use, such as car, train, plane and public transport.
Business Travel
Business travel emissions are also included in your Scope 3 emissions. When employees travel to meet clients or for internal meetings, their journeys on planes, in cars, on trains or public transport are all included in your company’s carbon footprint.
Supply Chain and Distribution
When you order or deliver goods, you need to consider how they are being transported. You need to find out the answers to these questions:
- How does the final product arrive at your organisation?
- How do you transport the goods to your customers?
- What transport is involved in the making of the product?
All the emissions from these journeys are part of your Scope 3 emissions, which can make up the majority of your carbon footprint. Switching to shipping instead of air freight for example can immediately lower your transport emissions, if you can plan ahead for a longer wait for goods to be delivered.
Transport can be a more complicated part of your carbon footprint to assess and manage. However, once you’ve established a baseline for each area and put a travel policy in place you will find it easier to lower your company’s emissions.