A History of Certification in Freight Emission Standards

Freight transport powers global trade, but it accounts for 8% of the  greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions global share in 2023 (MIT – 2023)  As global supply chains expanded over the past three decades, so did scrutiny over their environmental impact. Today, companies face regulatory, reputational, and operational pressure to both quantify and reduce supply chain emissions.

The decarbonization of logistics is now central to sustainability goals across industries. We will trace the journey from early estimation to certification, and demonstrate how Searoutes makes accurate carbon accounting in ocean freight possible.

Early Approaches: The Birth of Freight Emissions Reporting

In the 1990s and early 2000s, growing awareness of climate change prompted concern over logistics’ carbon footprint. But methods for tracking freight emissions and establishing carbon accounting methods varied widely.

Most early approaches to emission standards were based on fuel consumption averages or broad assumptions tied to vehicle type. There was no consistent way to allocate emissions across cargo size, shipment weight, or distance traveled, let alone across multimodal supply chains.

This resulted in inconsistent and noncomparable data across the industry. Companies couldn’t reliably track progress toward decarbonization goals, and public reporting lacked transparency.

Foundations: GHG Protocol and EN 16258

As the demand for more accurate freight emissions data grew, early frameworks began to shape how organizations approached carbon accounting, measurement and reporting. Two key milestones — the GHG Protocol and EN 16258 — laid the groundwork for today’s standards by introducing consistent terminology, scope definitions, and calculation methods across the industry.

GHG Protocol (2001-2011): Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), it established the widely adopted Scope 1, 2, and 3 framework. Freight emissions typically fall under Scope 3 (indirect emissions), which proved difficult to measure accurately, especially for complex international logistics. While the GHG Protocol laid an essential foundation, it wasn’t specific to freight.

EN 16258 (2012): This European norm represented a breakthrough, providing the first formal method to calculate CO₂e per shipment across different transport modes. It introduced both energy-based and distance-based allocation models and enabled reporting by shipment and mode. Though initially applied mainly in the EU, EN 16258 would influence global efforts that followed.

Scaling Up: GLEC Framework

The GLEC Framework, developed by the Smart Freight Centre, expanded on EN 16258 to fill key gaps in Scope 3 freight emissions reporting. It provided a unified methodology for calculating emissions across air, ocean, road, rail, and inland waterways, allowing companies to compare modes and track emissions in line with climate targets.

GLEC enabled companies to benchmark performance and guide decarbonization strategies. However, without a formal global standard, inconsistencies still remained.

Global Emissions Standard: ISO 14083

Enter ISO 14083, the new international standard designed to unify and formalize freight emissions certification. It builds on both EN 16258 and GLEC, delivering a robust global framework that defines how to allocate GHG emissions across multimodal shipments.

ISO 14083 sets technical requirements for data transparency and granularity. This includes treatment of backhaul, which is typically excluded from main-leg CO₂ reporting unless explicitly specified. Compliance is now closely linked to emerging regulatory frameworks like the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and growing customer expectations.

The Need for Better Emissions Accounting Has Grown Alongside Freight Volumes

Freight emissions intensity varies dramatically by transport mode and carrier. For example:

Mode	CO₂e per tonne-km	Example Vehicle
Ocean (large container vessel)	~10-15g	18,000-TEU container ship
Rail (Europe)	~15-20g	Electric freight train
Road (heavy-duty diesel truck)	~80-120g	40-tonne articulated lorry
Air freight (long haul)	~500-600g	Widebody cargo aircraft

(Sources: GLEC Framework, Clean Cargo Working Group, EU data on freight emissions)

Tech That Keeps Up With Evolving Emission Standards

As carbon accounting and reporting have gone from estimates to certification, so too have the tools that enable it. Searoutes integrates the latest standards (GLEC and ISO 14083) into an that delivers certified CO₂ insights at the shipment level.

Powered by proprietary routing algorithms and a continuously cleansed AIS database that draws from both terrestrial and satellite sources, Searoutes provides high-precision emissions modeling, both historical and real time. Our advanced routing engine integrates satellite data, vessel specifications, and weather patterns to deliver high-precision emissions calculations.

The CO₂ API calculates emissions by carrier, by route, and by container, delivering certified data ready for reporting, tendering, and optimization.

Searoutes also supports scenario modeling, allowing users to simulate the emissions impact of slower steaming, alternative fuels, or optimized routing. This turns compliance into an opportunity for real operational decarbonization.

By making certified, actionable emissions data accessible via API, Searoutes helps freight stakeholders meet modern regulatory frameworks, such as the EU ETS, and operate more sustainably. Ready to see what certified freight emissions tracking looks like in action? Book a demo today.