Upstream Transportation and Distribution
The Upstream Transportation and Distribution emission source captures the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting and distributing products and raw materials from suppliers to a company. It also includes third-party transportation between a company’s facilities, encompassing inbound and outbound logistics. These emissions are a significant component of many companies’ carbon footprints, particularly for organizations with complex, global supply chains.
Where to Find the Data?
Collecting data for upstream transportation and distribution emissions requires collaboration across the supply chain and a thorough understanding of logistics operations. Below are key data sources:
Accounting and/or ERP Systems: Look for transportation-related expenses in your financial records.
Purchase Records: These systems typically show the price and nature of the item or service purchased, which helps assign expenses to the correct categories.
Additionally, for activity-based tracking, you may need:
Logistics Reports: Details on the type, distance, and mode of transportation.
Logistics Supplier Information: Many suppliers and logistics companies, particularly those with sustainability initiatives, can provide detailed shipment records, transport mode breakdowns, and calculated emissions data
Data Format Template
Our software supports both spend-based and activity-based calculation methods for Scope 3 emissions. Activity-based calculations are only available for manually entered data, whereas bulk uploads must follow the spend-based approach.
For Spend-Based Calculations:
Start date
End date
Location (please use the exact names of the locations added to the platform)
Currency: The currency of the transaction.
Price: Base price (excluding tax and markup). If a base price is unavailable, use the purchase price.
Supplier name (Optional): For added detail and traceability.
Description (Optional): To categorize and understand the nature of each purchase.
Additional description (Optional): To provide additional details about the transaction if necessary
Emission factor (Optional): You can manually select an emission factor from EXIOBASE or enter a custom emission factor for spend-based calculations.
For Activity-Based Calculations:
Supplier country: The country where the supplier is located.
Supplier address: More detailed address of the supplier
Primary mode or transport: Possible values are: air, sea, road, rail. If transportation involved multiple modes, select the one that accounted for the majority of the journey.
Consumption amount: the weight of the shipment
Unit (Weight): Unit in which consumption amount was provided: kilograms (kg) or metric tons.
With the ability to track both spend-based and activity-based data, you have the flexibility to choose the approach that best fits your operational realities and sustainability goals.