Cargo Start and CarbonCare: partners for a greener future in logistics
As a company committed to the innovation of the air cargo industry, Cargo Start also supports the effort for greater sustainability by sponsoring the CarbonCare CO2 calculator in Italy. Where do we really stand in the process of decarbonizing? Peter Somaglia, a logistics industry veteran and co-founder of the Swiss-based organization CarbonCare that developed the state-of-the-art calculation tool shares his views.
As government regulations evolve and public support to fight climate change increases, the logistics & transportation industry is looking for new strategies to offset the negative impact on the environment. Altogether, the industry is the second largest culprit in terms of CO2 emissions (24%) after Energy/Heating. (Source: International Energy Agency IEA)
Only 2.8% of the global emissions are coming from air transport with air cargo accounting for a share of 0,7%. Even if such figures are lower than you would expect, they still have a strong impact on the environment, and in the last few years, air cargo players have been committed to reducing it with the orchestration of a variety of measures.
Investments in sustainable aviation fuel, fleet renewals, investment in lightweight ULDs, active participation in IATA initiatives such as eFreight and eAWB, and the introduction of compensation projects for carbon offsets, are all valid actions the air cargo supply chain has been undertaking in the last few years. Nevertheless, according to Peter Somaglia, co-founder of CarbonCare, we are still far from a “sustainable” industry.
Mr Somaglia, where do we really stand in the process of decarbonizing the air cargo industry?
I think we are only at the beginning, not only in air cargo but in the whole logistics & transportation industry. Governments and businesses worldwide have just started to take sustainability seriously. I expect the “wave” to become really tangible in the next few years.
The International Energy Agency has forecasted that global logistics will have the largest share of CO2 emissions by 2050 (40%) if we do not take corrective measures. Regardless of the provisions set by international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015) the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere keeps rising, which can have catastrophic consequences.
In which way does CarbonCare contribute? How important is the effort in terms of “transparency” when it comes to reducing air cargo carbon footprint?
The precondition for improvement is an effective, realistic measurement of your footprint. Measurements do not reduce emissions of course, but they allow to take the right counteractions to reduce the impact.
Transparency is also key, of course, if we want to make some progress. Some logistics companies are now integrating CO2 calculators on their websites and even including CO2 production measurements in their annual reports.
CarbonCare partners with MyClimate for the related compensation projects and the certification of the carbon offset. How does the offset mechanism work?
Yes, our customer’s carbon offset is certified by Swiss non-profit organization MyClimate, one of the leading environmental protection organisations. Through the offset mechanism, myClimate finances the additional costs that arise, for example, when renewable energy sources are used instead of fossil fuels. This price depends on the scope of the project, the technology used and the country in which the project is carried out.
The funds are primarily used in developing and newly industrializing countries to replace fossil energy sources that are harmful to the climate with renewable energy sources or to implement energy efficiency measures. In this way, the same amount of climate-impacting emissions is “compensated”.
CarbonCare is not the only CO2 calculator in the market. What edge does it have over the competition?
Besides air cargo, CarbonCare can be used for road, rail, sea and inland waterways, and the calculation method (based on the EN16258 standard) also includes emissions from cargo handling and transportation of cool cargo.
So, its added value is that it is almost unique as a “logistics & transportation” calculator, also including the energy mixes from different countries for rail transport. In the case of air cargo, for example, the footprint of a shipment can be calculated at door-to-door level, and not only airport-to-airport.
Why did you choose Cargo Start as a reseller for the Italian market?
In order to promote CarbonCare on a global scale, we are partnering with companies that share our values and long-term visions for the industry. Cargo Start’s strong focus on innovation makes it the ideal partner in the Italian market. In fact, their experts are not only reselling our tool, but they can also provide support when it comes to sustainability-related matters.
I believe sustainability goes hand in hand with innovation, not only in the air cargo industry but in general. Innovation is the key to finding new technologies that will help us achieve the common goal of making sustainability the new standard.
More information at carboncare.org