Carbon emissions tracking

What is carbon emissions tracking?

Carbon emissions tracking measures greenhouse gas emissions generated by business operations. It can factor in emissions from across logistics and manufacturing but is often focused on transportation emissions, which account for a large percentage of total carbon footprint.

Scope 3 emissions tracking

Scope 3 emissions tracking is the most comprehensive type of carbon emissions tracking. It includes indirect and third-party emissions throughout supply chain and product distribution operations.

Benefits of carbon footprint tracking

These are some of the benefits of carbon emissions tracking:

  • Accurate tracking enables better environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting, regulatory compliance and insights into reducing supply chain emissions

  • Carbon emissions tracking makes it easier to identify ways to optimize logistics, from large changes like switching the transportation mode to subtle tweaks like route optimization

  • Tracking systems quantify the impact of transportation method or strategy changes before implementation, enabling data-driven sustainability decisions

  • Customer reporting capabilities allow customers to get shipment-level carbon footprint data, particularly relevant in sectors facing pressure to reduce supply chain emissions

How emissions tracking software works

Carbon emissions tracking software integrates with transportation management systems (TMS) to capture shipment data, including:

  • Mode (truck, rail, air, ocean)

  • Distance

  • Fuel type

  • Load characteristics

This data is converted into CO2 equivalent measurements using standardized formulas from organizations like the EPA or GLEC Framework.

The granularity of data collected varies. Some emissions tracking uses telematics integrations to capture actual fuel consumption, idle times and route efficiency. This real-time data provides more accurate emissions calculations than distance-based estimates.

How carbon emissions tracking fits into supply chain execution

An emissions figure calculated after a shipment has already happened is a reporting exercise. One calculated from live shipment data—mode, distance, fuel type—as the transportation network is actually operating is something a planner can act on before the next routing decision. That shift from after-the-fact reporting to in-the-moment data is what supply chain execution means in practice.