Carbon Calculator
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Calculate the Carbon Footprint of Your International Shipments
Do you ever wonder what the carbon footprint of your shipping platform is? Our carbon calculator can help you find out. Choose among 12 different international destinations, put in the weight and number of packages, and we’ll calculate the carbon emissions when shipping direct through FGX and when shipping through the hub-and-spoke models of the big three carriers—FedEx, UPS, and DHL. You’ll see that FGX can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your international shipping.
How It Works
CO2 emissions are calculated based on actual tracking information on shipments made from New York City to the destination cities, both for direct shipping with FGX and average mileage data for hub-and-spoke air carriers.
Distances for flights were calculated based on direct distances from arrival/departure cities and take into account the curvature of the Earth and the additional fuel utilized in takeoffs and landings for multileg trips. The distances for hub-and-spoke air carriers were based on actual shipments made using the three largest courier and express shipment companies in the United States. At this time only air transportation is considered.
More information on the benefits of direct shipping over hub-and-spoke shippers can be found at www.shipgreener.com.
Science and Assumptions
The emission factors for air transportation have been developed by Dr. Cristiano Facanha of ICF International, and Dr. Arpad Horvath of University of California, Berkeley, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
The emission factors include not only direct emissions (from aircraft’s fuel consumption), but also indirect emissions associated with the fuel delivery supply chain, vehicle manufacturing, and infrastructure. Emission factors include the following processes:
• Fuel combustion;
• Pre-combustion processes, including oil exploration, fuel refining, and fuel distribution;
• Vehicle-related processes (non-fuel combustion), including vehicle parts manufacturing, vehicle manufacturing and assembly, vehicle maintenance, and vehicle recycling;
• Infrastructure-related processes, including infrastructure construction, maintenance and decommissioning.
The methodology relies on a hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA), a combination of process-based LCA and economic input-output analysis-based LCA (EIO-LCA). All these components are added by means of a common functional unit of grams of air pollutant per ton-mile of freight activity.
Air Transportation Emission Factors
The equation utilized to calculate aircraft emissions is the following:
Y = (n.a + b.X).c.d
where: Y = Total CO2 emissions (grams)
n = Number of flight segments
a = Takeoff/landing emission factor (grams of CO2 per ton of freight)
b = Cruise emission factor (grams of CO2 per ton-mile of freight)
X = Total flight distance (miles)
c = Package weight (tons)
d = Number of packages
The a and b emission factors depend on the aircraft utilized and are described below:
Aircraft: a, b
Boeing 767: a=197,307; b=1,305
DC-10: a=174,420; b=1,310
Airbus 300: a=226,963; b=1,605
Assumptions include:
• Aircraft capacity and type: Airbus 300 (110,000 pounds), Boeing 767 (127,000 pounds), DC-10 (200,000 pounds)
• Aircraft utilization: 75%
• Empty miles: 25%
• Calculations assume fuel efficiency based on average fleet age (1985–2005) and average emissions profile for Airbus 300, DC-10, and Boeing 767
• A mature tree absorbs on average 13 pounds of CO2 per year.
For additional information:
• Facanha, C. (2006), “Life-cycle Air Emissions Inventory of Freight Transportation in the United States.” Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
• Facanha, C., Horvath, A. (2006), “Environmental Assessment of Freight Transportation in the U.S.”. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 11 (4), pp. 229-239, DOI.
How Does This Benefit Me?
Learning about how carbon emissions are generated is a good first step in an effective carbon management strategy.
FGX has partnered with ShipGreenTM to help you take the next step: measuring and reducing your corporate emissions with every package you send.
