Cloud-based software provider, Riege and CO2 emissions calculator, CarbonCare, have agreed to cooperate. The basis is an emissions calculator that is now integrated into Riege's digital standard product, Scope. The tool immediately shows users how many greenhouse gas emissions would be generated by the booked air cargo shipment.
Sustainability does not happen by itself, says Riege manager, Tobias Riege. It is the result of the (increasingly digital) measures that are being implemented in the transport sector. When emissions caused by shipments become clear at a glance, not only does this create greater environmental awareness but it also increases the transparency of business transactions, too. By incorporating a CO2 emissions calculator in its product Scope, Riege has created the technical prerequisites for greater visibility, coupled with environmentally friendly behavior.
Disturbing figures
How many of an airplane's CO2 emissions are generated by a 70-kg shipment transported from Frankfurt to New York, quickly becomes clear when using the calculator. In total, an average widebody
aircraft serving this route emits 66,454.5 kg of CO2 per leg. Hence, the shipment accounts for around 360 kg of CO2 emissions. These can be offset, provided the sender is willing to shoulder the
extra costs.
A popular way to offset is to plant trees. However, an average deciduous tree binds no more than 10 to 12 kg of CO2 per growing season, storing the greenhouse gas in its wood. In relation to the
New York flight, this comes to 30 to 36 years that the tree would need to compensate the FRA-JFK greenhouse gas pollution. Riege says: “I was really shocked myself about these
findings.”
Calculations are verifiable
Thanks to the cooperation between Riege and CarbonCare announced in Frankfurt, Scope users can determine the emission values for each individual shipment with just a few clicks. The process is
carried out in accordance with EU standard 16258 and is therefore verifiable. Both partner companies are now offering Scope users a three-month test phase during which they can gain experience
with the emissions calculator. After that, they can purchase a license from CarbonCare and continue to use the system.
Voluntary decision
How precisely the tool works is evidenced by a shipment of 258.8 kg, which was transported on 08SEP22 from Cologne via Frankfurt to Hong Kong. The calculation, including the trucking share from
Cologne to Frankfurt, resulted in CO2 emissions totaling 1,574.26 kg. In order to neutralize these gas emissions, the calculator displayed a compensation sum of 26.78 euros on its screen.
Customers are free to pay this extra cost or to ignore the proposal, because it is a voluntary decision. The main goal of the process is, therefore, to create transparency and greater awareness
of sustainability in the industry, emphasizes Peter Somaglia, the head of CarbonCare.
The joint initiative was supported practically by the organizers of the Frankfurt Air Cargo Days. Every speaker who appeared on stage, was given a certificate, assuring them that a tree would be
planted for their contribution to the success of the event. With around 40 panelists over the two days, a small forest will soon be growing in the vicinity of FRA.
Heiner Siegmund
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