🌱 Introduction

Our methodology is accredited by the Smart Freight Centre.

At Searoutes, we want CO2e emissions estimation to be accessible quickly to the different stakeholders of the logistics, so it's easy to integrate into decision making. We are compliant with the GLEC Framework, which allows us to accurately measure and report CO2e emissions of Carriers, Freight Forwarders and Shippers.

At Searoutes, we believe logistics could become one of the main polluters in the near future, as the GLEC Framework puts it:

Comprising 23% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the transport sector is the third largest source of GHG emissions after industry and buildings. Freight transportation made up 36% of transport’s emissions in 2015, but is expected to be at least equivalent to passenger transport by 2050. [...] Without intervention, freight transport emissions will more than double by 2050.

Our modeling currently supports the following modes and regions:

	SEA	AIR	ROAD	RAIL	🛥️ INLAND WATERS
SFC Accredited	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Data Source	Modelled & Default Data	Modelled & Default Data	Default Data	Default Data	Default Data
Asset Coverage	> 6,000 Vessels	> 40 Airplanes	10 Truck categories	2 Train categories	6 vessel types
Distances	Routes based on AIS	Great Circle	Appropriate routes for trucks	Open Rail Map	Routes based on AIS
Regions (automatically detected)	World	World	Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa	Europe, North America	Europe, North America, China
Fuel Types	HFO, MDO		DIESEL, CNG, LNG or PETROL	DIESEL or ELECTRIC	DIESEL
Searoutes' special sauce	Real vessel speeds, distances, passages & ECA zones	All flight phases	Seamless integration of the location of cities, zip codes or addresses	Seamless integration of the location of cities, rail terminals or addresses	Real distances

Philosophy

Following GLEC's guidance, Searoutes' APIs estimate CO2e which is the common unit used to represent the global warming impact of the various Green House Gases. The estimations of our CO2e are indirect emissions from the reporting company’s supply chain. This includes transportation emissions required to move goods from suppliers to the reporting company and from the reporting company to the end customer. In other words, Searoutes' APIs encompass Scope 3 emissions, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Further, our estimations include the full fuel life cycle, comprised of well-to-tank (WTT), the emissions to extract, produce and deliver energy, and tank-to-wheel (TTW), the emissions caused to move the vehicle.

Searoutes' approach to CO2e calculations is to make use of the most granular data possible for estimations, and expose an easy to use API.

Data Input	SEA	AIR	ROAD	RAIL	🛥️ INLAND WATERS
Required	From, To (UNLOCODE)	From, To (IATA codes)	From, to (as UNLOCODE or latitude, longitude)	From, to (UNLOCODE or latitude, longitude)	From, to (UNLOCODE or latitude, longitude)
Optional	Vessel IMO, Carrier, # Containers, container sizes and types, Load Weight	Aircraft IATA Code, Load Weight	Fuel Type, Truck Size, Load Weight	Fuel Type, Load Weight	vesselType, Load Weight, # Containers, container sizes and types

Partners

The following partners help us enrich and distribute CO2e data. They help us make it more accessible to the different stakeholders of the logistics.

Main references

Our main references for the methodology below include:

EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook 2019;
GLEC Framework 2020.
Third / Fourth IMO Greenhouse Gas Study 2020;