Convoy becomes a Smart Freight Centre Accredited partner

SEATTLE, WA, October 12th — Today, Convoy announces accreditation by Smart Freight Centre (SFC) to provide calculations of greenhouse gas emissions for freight operations in conformance with the Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework (GLEC Framework). GLEC is a globally recognized methodology for measuring greenhouse gas emissions across different logistics modes. The GLEC Framework aligns with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the UN-led Global Green Freight Action Plan, and Carbon Disclosure Project reporting.

Standardization of data in the logistics industry

One of the biggest challenges transportation companies experience with emissions calculations is that greenhouse gas emissions have been calculated in many different ways depending on the company, provider, or partner. By receiving the GLEC Accreditation, Convoy can assure its shippers that they are receiving some of the most accurate and transparent carbon emissions data in the freight industry. Aligning our methodology to the GLEC Framework enables Convoy to provide insights to shippers to inform business decisions and steer efforts to reduce emissions.

“We’re proud to welcome Convoy as one of our partners accredited by SFC to calculate and report emissions following the GLEC Framework. Improving the standardization of logistics emissions is urgent, and this solution will help North American actors along the supply chain better assess their logistics emissions.’ said Rik Arends, Program Director at Smart Freight Centre.

Convoy’s approach to the GLEC Framework

Convoy utilizes fuel consumption data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway Carrier Tool and fuel efficiency data directly from the carriers. Carriers who register and join SmartWay Carrier Partners measure, benchmark, and track their efforts to increase efficiency and fuel economy, in addition to having the documentation to prove it. This data enables our shippers to calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for Scope 3 under the GLEC Framework.

“Our Smart Freight Centre (SFC) accreditation shows that Convoy is committed to aligning our work with globally recognized frameworks,” said Jennifer Wong, Director of Sustainability. “We look forward to continued partnership with SFC to bring transparency and drive climate action in partnership with our shippers and carriers.”

Trucking’s climate impact is significant and growing

The transportation sector is the largest source of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. In 2020, medium- and heavy-duty trucks accounted for 26% of all transportation emissions¹. Additionally, 35% of the time, trucks drive empty, generating more than 87 million metric tons of carbon emissions which pollute our environment every year.

Today, by aligning our carbon emissions methodology to the gold standard in logistics emissions reporting, the GLEC Framework, we can now provide our shippers and carriers with transparent reporting on carbon emissions.

Partnerships to drive change

The SFC Accreditation of GLEC-compliant tools and programs is part of the SFC’s advocacy work around industry standards to report and reduce emissions.

Convoy will continue to work with SFC and GLEC to support SFC’s goals of driving the adoption of a universal and transparent method of calculating freight emissions across the global supply chain.

Convoy’s accreditation by SFC is very encouraging for companies that have committed to acting responsibly and accurately measuring their CO2 emissions. “Accreditation is the first step as we work towards improving the quality and quantity of truck-level data. Convoy is focused on providing accurate, real-time transparency for our shippers into the emissions that flow within our network,” stated Jennifer Wong.

What it means for shippers

Shippers that work with Convoy can reach out to their account managers to partner with our sustainability team to better understand the carbon emissions in their operations today. In fact, Convoy can provide shippers with emissions reporting as far back as their first shipment in Convoy’s digital freight network.

ABOUT GLEC

Led by SFC, the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) was established in 2014 as a voluntary partnership and has grown to more than 50 companies, industry associations, and green freight programs backed by experts, governments, and other stakeholders. Together, they develop and implement global guidelines to calculate, report, and reduce logistics emissions that work for the industry.

ABOUT THE SMART FREIGHT CENTER

Smart Freight Center is a global non-profit organization dedicated to an efficient, zero-emissions freight sector. SFC brings together and works with the global logistics community to drive transparency, collaboration, and industry action – contributing to the Paris Climate Agreement targets and Sustainable Development Goals. Our goal is that 100+ multinationals reduce at least 30% of logistics emissions by 2030 compared to 2015 across their global logistics supply chains and decarbonize by 2050.

1. EPA, 2020, Fast Facts Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions.