Give shippers the fleet emissions figures they need from you

Why do customers ask logistics firms for emissions data?

Because your emissions are part of theirs. When a retailer or manufacturer pays you to move goods, those journeys appear in their Scope 3 reporting as upstream or downstream transportation and distribution. The more seriously your customers take their own reporting, the more often they will ask you for figures.

Public sector work adds another layer. A Carbon Reduction Plan under PPN 006 includes transportation and distribution among its Scope 3 categories, so contractors on large government jobs need data from their transport suppliers. A bank offering a green loan for electric vans may also want to see your current emissions.

What makes up a van fleet’s carbon footprint?

For a courier, delivery or removals firm, fleet fuel dominates. Depot electricity and office energy usually come a distant second. The report measures:

• Company vans, cars and HGVs: petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric, from fuel litres, mileage records or estimates, reported as Scope 1
• EV charging for electric vans and cars, reported as Scope 2
• Depot or office energy: electricity, gas, heating oil or LPG from bills or deliveries, or estimated from floor area
• Fuel for forklifts, generators and other equipment, from fuel purchased
• Well-to-tank fuel emissions, the upstream emissions from producing and delivering your fuel
• Waste and water, from contractor data or estimated from bins and headcount
• Business travel and an estimate of staff commuting

Subcontracted drivers and owner-drivers using their own vehicles are outside the footprint, and so is transport arranged and paid for by your customers. The report lists its coverage in the methodology appendix.

How fleets usually cut emissions, and costs

Because fuel is the biggest source, it is also where reductions show up fastest, and where they save money. Common steps include route optimisation, telematics to reduce idling and harsh driving, tyre pressure checks, driver training, and replacing diesel vans with electric ones on urban routes as leases end.

Fuel litres are the strongest basis for your figures, because emissions come directly from the fuel burned. Most fleets already have them on fuel card statements for the accounts, so the data is usually closer to hand than it feels. If some vehicles run on expenses or a different card, mileage records or a sensible annual estimate per vehicle type fill the gap, and the report labels which method was used for each.

A measured baseline turns those steps into evidence. Once your diesel and EV figures are split across Scope 1 and Scope 2, you can show a customer or lender exactly what moving five vans to electric changed. Green loans for electric vehicles are available from several UK banks, and our guide to green business loans covers what they ask for. Your private action plan lists your options in priority order.

How long it takes

A business with vans usually finishes in 30 to 45 minutes. Have your fuel card statements or rough annual mileage per vehicle type, a recent energy bill for your depot or office, and your headcount to hand. Answers save as you go. Your first report is free. Start your report and send your customers the figures they are waiting for.