How to interpret your emission results

Use CO2e per Ton and CO2e per Ton.km to Evaluate Shipment CO2e Performance

Introduction

To assess the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) performance of your shipments, BigMile provides two key metrics: CO2e per ton and CO2e per ton.km. These metrics help you understand the environmental impact of your logistics operations by quantifying emissions relative to the weight of goods transported and the distance traveled. This article explains how to use these metrics effectively to evaluate and optimize your shipment performance.

You can find these measures in various places: In the dashboard, in your generated reports. You can also use the details table to view the calculated CPI (Co2e per ton or Co2e per ton.km) on a shipment level. You can view this article for guidance on how to do this: How to spot abnormal values

Understanding CO2e per Ton

CO2e per ton measures the total CO2e emissions of a shipment divided by the total weight of the goods (in tons). It provides insight into the emissions intensity per unit of cargo weight, making it useful for comparing the environmental efficiency of shipments with different weights.

How to Use CO2e per Ton

Compare Similar Shipments: Use CO2e per ton to compare shipments of similar types (e.g., same transport mode or route) to identify which ones are more or less carbon-efficient.
Identify High-Impact Shipments: A higher CO2e per ton indicates less efficient shipments, signaling opportunities to optimize transport modes, consolidate loads, or improve vehicle efficiency.
Track Performance Over Time: Monitor CO2e per ton to assess whether changes in logistics processes (e.g., switching to electric vehicles or optimizing load planning) reduce emissions per ton.

Example: If Shipment A emits 500 kg CO2e for 10 tons of goods (50 kg CO2e/ton) and Shipment B emits 800 kg CO2e for 8 tons (100 kg CO2e/ton), Shipment A is more carbon-efficient per ton of cargo.

Understanding CO2e per Ton.km

CO2e per ton.km measures the CO2e emissions per ton of cargo transported over one kilometer. This metric accounts for both the weight of the goods and the distance traveled, making it ideal for comparing shipments across different distances and transport modes.

How to Use CO2e per Ton.km

Compare Across Routes and Modes: Use CO2e per ton.km to evaluate the efficiency of different transport modes (e.g., road, rail, air) or routes for the same type of cargo. Lower values indicate better environmental performance.
Optimize Route Planning: Identify routes or transport modes with lower CO2e per ton.km to reduce emissions, especially for long-distance shipments.
Benchmark Performance: Compare your CO2e per ton.km against industry standards or competitors to gauge your logistics efficiency.

Example: If a truck shipment emits 0.1 kg CO2e per ton.km and a rail shipment emits 0.03 kg CO2e per ton.km for the same cargo, switching to rail could significantly reduce emissions.

Combining Both Metrics

CO2e per ton is best for understanding emissions relative to cargo weight, especially for short or similar-distance shipments.
CO2e per ton.km is more suitable for comparing shipments across varying distances or transport modes, as it normalizes for distance.
Use both metrics together to gain a comprehensive view of your logistics performance. For example, a low CO2e per ton but high CO2e per ton.km might indicate a short but inefficient shipment, while a high CO2e per ton but low CO2e per ton.km could suggest a long, efficient shipment.

List of expected Co2e per ton.km per industry

What follows is a list of the expected Co2e per ton.km in ranges, keep in mind these are still averages so yours might be higher or lower. If your CPI falls far out of these ranges this might point to an issue in your data, you can use follow this article to find out if that is the case BigMile, or contact your BigMile representative.

Groupage: 0.100–0.250 kg CO2e/t-km
Full Truck Loads: 0.050–0.100 kg CO2e/t-km
Transport of Home Appliances: 0.080–0.150 kg CO2e/t-km
The Moving Industry: 0.120–0.300 kg CO2e/t-km
Horticulture: 0.150–0.350 kg CO2e/t-km
Agriculture: 0.060–0.120 kg CO2e/t-km
Steel Industry: 0.050–0.090 kg CO2e/t-km
Chemical Industry: 0.080–0.160 kg CO2e/t-km
Last Mile Delivery: 0.200–1.000 kg CO2e/t-km
Packages: 0.150–0.500 kg CO2e/t-km
Heavy Machinery: 0.050–0.100 kg CO2e/t-km
Retail: 0.100–0.200 kg CO2e/t-km
Conditioned Transport: 0.120–0.250 kg CO2e/t-km
Construction: 0.070–0.150 kg CO2e/t-km

Limitations of Using Default Intensity Values

When primary data (e.g., actual fuel consumption or vehicle-specific emissions) is unavailable, you may be using default emission intensity values (e.g., average CO2e emissions per km for a specific vehicle type). While these defaults provide a standardized way to estimate emissions, they come with limitations:

Reduced Accuracy: Default values are based on industry averages and may not reflect the specific characteristics of your shipments, such as vehicle age, fuel type, load factor, or driving conditions. This can lead to over- or underestimation of actual emissions.
Limited Specificity: Defaults may not account for regional differences (e.g., fuel blends or road conditions) or operational nuances (e.g., empty return trips or partial loads), reducing the precision of CO2e per ton and CO2e per ton.km as performance indicators.
Impact on Decision-Making: Relying solely on default values may skew comparisons between shipments or transport modes, potentially leading to suboptimal decisions. For example, a default value might overestimate truck emissions compared to actual data from a modern, fuel-efficient fleet.
Recommendation: To maximize the usefulness of these metrics, provide BigMile with accurate, shipment-specific data (e.g., fuel consumption, vehicle type, or actual distances) whenever possible. This ensures that CO2e per ton and CO2e per ton.km reflect your operations more accurately, enabling better-informed decisions for reducing emissions.