Overview
The Freight module covers emissions from transporting goods across modes (road, rail, sea, air and inland waterways). It includes inbound and outbound transport, whether or not it is operated by the company.
Key use cases
Accounting for inbound and outbound goods transport across all modes
Allocating emissions correctly between own operations, upstream and downstream
Handling refrigerated transport and mode-specific factors
What this module covers
The module covers emissions from the transport of goods by various modes, inbound and outbound, whether operated by the company or not.
Emissions include combustion (tank-to-wheel), upstream energy (well-to-tank), refrigerant leaks for refrigerated transport, and, under BEGES-R, the manufacturing of infrastructure and vehicles.
Allocation:
Scope 1 or 2 when the company has operational control
Scope 3 upstream transportation when the company has no operational control and pays for the transport (under the GHG Protocol, inbound transport that the company neither controls nor pays for is also placed here)
Scope 3 downstream transportation when the company has no operational control, does not pay for the transport, and the transport is outbound
How the module works
For each transport (a number of metric tonnes carried over a distance), the user selects, where relevant:
The freight type: road, rail, sea, air or inland waterways (always required)
The transport mode: vehicle or vessel category (for example truck size, ship type, aircraft size)
The fuel type: where relevant for road, sea and rail (air does not use a separate fuel column)
Whether the transport is refrigerated
For air only: a distance band (short, medium or long haul)
For rail only: the origin country, to pick country-appropriate rail factors when available
How emission factors are matched
For every combination of freight type, transport mode, fuel type, refrigerated status, distance and country, an emission factor has been pre-selected. The EF depends on the methodology (BEGES v4/v5 or GHG Protocol).
Emission factor sources
The emission factors are provided by or computed from Base Empreinte (ADEME), UK conversion factors (DEFRA/BEIS), the IEA and GLEC.
FAQs
How is upstream versus downstream decided?
It depends on operational control, who pays for the transport, and whether the transport is inbound or outbound. Own-controlled transport is Scope 1/2; paid transport without control is upstream; unpaid outbound transport without control is downstream.
Does air freight use a fuel type?
No. Air does not use a separate fuel column; a distance band (short, medium or long haul) is used instead.
Are refrigerant leaks included?
Yes. Refrigerant leaks are included for refrigerated transport.