The Climate Collaborative is excited to announce we're teaming up with Flexport.org to offer an opportunity for committed companies to engage in an international logistics emissions reduction analysis project!

Project Overview

International logistics can be a major driver of a company’s overall carbon footprint. To help its committed company base identify opportunities to reduce emissions associated with its international logistics, the Climate Collaborative is teaming up with Flexport.org on an Emissions Reduction Analysis project.

The Emissions Reduction Analysis project offers up to THREE candidates the opportunity for an international logistics carbon calculation and emissions reduction consultation with Flexport.org. The consultation utilizes Flexport.org’s logistics emissions calculator— a rigorous, comprehensive methodology to calculate emissions associated with ocean, air, truck, and rail.

Participation is free of charge, and selected participants will receive detailed information with Terms & Conditions from the Climate Collaborative and Flexport.org teams. Outcomes will include a report with individualized emissions analysis, and recommendations for optimization; a case study will also be written for each company that highlights the process, results, and transferable lessons.

Scope

The analysis focuses on international logistics. Specifically, carbon emissions caused by transportation (including trucking, ocean, air, and rail freight where applicable) will be calculated for agreed upon lanes, regions, or time periods. In addition to the deliverables outlined below, recommendations to improve emissions signature will likely include a review of tradeoffs. For example, would lengthening transit times be an option, if emissions could be reduced?

Deliverables and Benefits for Selected Candidates

Project deliverables are in two phases.

1. Phase 1, Analysis:org estimates the emissions* of shipments submitted and shares a detailed report with the candidate. The report will cover emissions calculation results, and recommendations for how to optimize international shipping emissions.
2. Phase 2, Case Study: A two-page case study will be developed to highlight the process, results, and transferable lessons to peers.

Timeline

• Applications Due: January 31, 2020
• Candidates Selected, Projects Formalized: January 11-31, 2020
• Phase 1, Conduct Analysis: February 2020
• Phase 2, Case Study: March-April 2020

Timeline based on estimates; length may actually vary depending on response times and project developments.

Candidate Application

Interested in participating in this project? Please complete this Google Form, an application which helps illustrate how your company fits the Candidate Profile (below).  

Please note: Companies do NOT need to be a current Flexport or Flexport.org client to qualify for this project.

Candidate Profile

Ideal candidates will show a high correlation with the following characteristics:

Culture:

• Company has not yet fully assessed international logistics emissions, but are committed to reducing and/or compensating for their environmental impact from shipping.

Preferred Logistics Scenarios to Optimize

• The company is growing, and is seeking to switch from air to ocean freight
• A company that primarily uses trucks for ground transportation, but whose product/supply chain could allow for increased transit times via intermodal shipping.
• A company that only ships full container loads but never fully fills their containers

Compliance with Technical Parameters:

• Shipping does NOT require temperature-controlled shipping services
• Goods are put in containers or on pallets
• Depending on the logistics scenario, the candidate must be able to supply the following information:
  • Shipment origin and destination data (addresses and ports/via ports)
  • Mode being utilized (i.e. air, truck, rail, ocean [LCL or FCL])
  • Specific ship/plane/truck used (if known)
  • Cargo statistics: count (i.e. carton or pallet), dimensions, and weight

If unable to provide shipment-specific information for each data point, the information above can be averages across lanes or can be provided in relevant documentation (e.g. Bill of Lading) for analysis.

* Flexport's calculation is based on detailed, real-time data that is partially generated by directly managing the logistics process. As candidates will submit high-level information only, the calculations provided are estimates. Flexport.org recommends a follow-up conversation if the candidate plans to publish the data or use otherwise.