See also:Data quality tier
Freight emissions glossary
A definition for every term used in the EcoFreight calculator, API responses, and methodology. Drawn from GLEC Framework v3.2 and ISO 14083:2023. Last reviewed May 2026.
Methodology & standards
- GLEC FrameworkGLEC
- The Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework is the industry-standard methodology for calculating logistics greenhouse-gas emissions, published by Smart Freight Centre. Version 3.2 is the current edition as of 2026 (v4 is in draft). It supplies emission factors for road, sea, rail, and air freight that are aligned with ISO 14083:2023.
- ISO 14083:2023
- The international standard for quantifying and reporting greenhouse-gas emissions from transport chain operations. It defines how to allocate emissions across legs of a multimodal shipment, how to handle hub and transshipment emissions, how to treat empty running, and which data quality tiers count as compliant. GLEC supplies the factors; ISO 14083 supplies the rules for applying them.
- Well-to-WheelWTW
- The total lifecycle emission for a unit of transport activity — the sum of fuel production (WTT) and fuel combustion (TTW). CSRD Scope 3 and GLEC both require WTW. The EcoFreight API returns WTW as the headline number on every response.
- Tank-to-WheelTTW
- Emissions from burning the fuel onboard the vehicle or vessel — combustion only. Smaller than WTW because it excludes upstream fuel production. Wrong number to report for Scope 3; it is informational only.
- Well-to-TankWTT
- Upstream emissions from getting fuel into the tank — extraction, refining, transport to the fuelling point. WTT + TTW = WTW exactly.
- Data quality tier
- ISO 14083 defines three tiers. Primary: metered fuel burn on the specific trip being reported. Secondary: modelled from carrier or lane data, e.g. vessel-IMO-number matching or dedicated-lane fuel intensity. Default: sector-average factors from GLEC. ISO 14083 allows mixing tiers across legs of a single shipment provided each leg discloses its tier.
- Primary data
- Measured fuel-consumption (or kWh, in the case of electric modes) data from the specific trip being reported. The highest ISO 14083 data quality tier. In practice most road and rail operators can collect primary data; sea and air primary data requires carrier cooperation.
- Emission factor
- A coefficient that converts a unit of transport activity (typically tonne-kilometres) into emissions (typically grams of CO2-equivalent). GLEC v3.2 publishes WTW emission factors per transport mode and sub-mode. Example: a fully-loaded articulated truck on European motorways is approximately 62 g CO2e per tonne-km WTW.
- Global Warming PotentialGWP
- The ratio of the warming caused by a gas to the warming caused by the same mass of CO2 over a fixed time horizon (usually 100 years). EcoFreight uses IPCC AR6 GWP100 values, in line with GLEC v3.2.See also:CO2-equivalent
- Radiative forcing
- The non-CO2 climate impact of aviation — contrails, NOx, water vapour. IPCC AR6 places aviation total climate impact at roughly 1.7-3x its CO2 number depending on altitude and contrail conditions. The multiplier is methodologically unsettled, so EcoFreight (and most CSRD disclosures) report CO2-only and flag radiative forcing as a footnote.
- ISO 14064
- The broader ISO standard family for greenhouse-gas quantification: 14064-1 covers organisation-level inventories, 14064-2 project-level reductions, and 14064-3 verification. ISO 14083 is the transport-specific extension that sits on top of 14064. Most CSRD assurance engagements cite both — 14064 for the corporate inventory rules and 14083 for the freight-leg numbers feeding into it.
- Smart Freight CentreSFC
- The Amsterdam-based non-profit that publishes the GLEC Framework and convenes the Global Logistics Emissions Council. Membership exceeds 200 shippers, carriers, and logistics service providers as of 2026. SFC also runs the GLEC declaration scheme that certifies tools and carriers as GLEC-conformant.See also:GLEC Framework
- EN 16258
- The 2012 European standard for calculating energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions of transport services. Superseded in practice by ISO 14083:2023, but still referenced in French Article L. 1431-3 disclosure requirements and some carrier tenders. EN 16258 only required TTW; ISO 14083 mandates WTW.
- Activity-based emissions
- The ISO 14083 calculation approach: multiply a measured transport activity (tonne-kilometres, TEU-kilometres, vehicle-kilometres) by an emission factor in g CO2e per unit of activity. Contrasts with spend-based methods that estimate emissions from invoice value. CSRD allows spend-based fallback only when activity data is unavailable, and requires a transition plan to activity-based.
- Modal allocation
- The ISO 14083 rule for splitting emissions across the legs of a multimodal shipment: each leg is calculated separately on its own mode-specific factor, then summed. Trans-shipment and hub emissions (port handling, cross-docking) are allocated mass-pro-rata to outbound cargo. A 40-foot container moving Shenzhen-Rotterdam-Munich would have three legs: sea, port handling, and rail or truck.
- Empty backhaul
- The return trip of a vehicle or container after delivering cargo, without paying freight on the way back. Distinct from empty mileage: empty mileage is sector-average across all trips, whereas backhaul is the specific outbound-then-return pattern. GLEC v3.2 allows operators with audited round-trip data to allocate backhaul emissions to the outbound shipment rather than using the 25% default.
- Empty mileage
- Distance travelled by a vehicle or vessel without paying cargo. GLEC defaults assume 25% empty mileage for road, 30% for light commercial, 15% for rail. If you have audited dedicated-lane data showing a lower empty share, that is a legitimate ISO 14083 Tier 2 adjustment.
- Biogenic CO2
- CO2 released by burning biomass-derived fuels (wood, crop residues, bio-methanol). Under GLEC v3.2 and ISO 14083:2023, biogenic CO2 is reported separately from fossil CO2 and not counted in the headline WTW figure — the assumption being that the carbon was recently absorbed from the atmosphere. This treatment is contested for slow-rotation feedstocks; some schemes (e.g. EU ETS) apply a biogenic-neutrality exception only to specific certified pathways.
- CO2 vs CO2-equivalent
- Many carriers and logistics platforms still publish CO2-only figures, omitting CH4 (GWP100 ≈ 29.8) and N2O (GWP100 ≈ 273). For road freight the gap is small — roughly 2-5% — but for LNG-powered vessels with methane slip it can reach 20% or more. GLEC v3.2 and ISO 14083 both require CO2e reporting; CO2-only numbers should not be treated as compliant with either standard.
- ifeu — Institute for Energy and Environmental Researchifeu
- A Heidelberg-based independent research institute that is a key methodology contributor to the GLEC Framework, providing the underlying emission-factor data sets and WTT calculations used in GLEC v3.2. ifeu also developed the EcoTransIT World tool, which implements GLEC factors and is widely used for Tier 2 sea and air freight calculations.
- TTW vs WTW — common reporting error
- A pervasive error in freight carbon reporting: carrier scorecards, booking platforms, and ERP integrations frequently label an emissions number as "CO2 per tonne-km" without specifying whether it is TTW (combustion only) or WTW (full lifecycle). For diesel road freight the discrepancy is roughly 15-20%; for natural-gas-powered trucks it can exceed 30% once methane slip is included. Any number without explicit WTW / TTW labelling should be treated as suspect and queried with the data provider.
- Material handling emissions
- Emissions from loading, unloading, and repositioning cargo at terminals, cross-docks, and warehouses — forklifts, reach-stackers, and gantry cranes. ISO 14083 allocates terminal emissions to shipments on a mass-pro-rata basis. In most supply chains material handling contributes under 2% of total logistics CO2e, but it is often the only Scope 1 emission fully within a shipper's direct control.
Transport modes
- Container ship
- Cargo ship designed to transport standard ISO containers. GLEC v3.2 splits container ships by TEU capacity (3,000-8,000 TEU and 8,000+ TEU) because larger vessels have lower per-tonne-km emission factors.
- Bulk carrier
- A ship designed to carry unpackaged bulk cargo — iron ore, coal, grain, cement. GLEC v3.2 subdivides bulk carriers by deadweight tonnage class (Handysize, Panamax, Capesize). Per-tkm emissions vary roughly inversely with vessel size.See also:Deadweight tonnage
- Belly cargo
- Freight carried in the cargo hold of a passenger flight, as opposed to a dedicated cargo aircraft. ISO 14083 allocates emissions between passengers and freight on a mass basis. The belly-cargo factor in GLEC v3.2 is roughly 608 g CO2e per tonne-km on long-haul routes — about 75x container shipping.
- Dedicated cargo aircraft
- A purpose-built freighter (e.g. Boeing 747-8F, Boeing 777F). Emission factors are higher per tonne-km than belly cargo because all of the flight's emissions are allocated to freight.See also:Belly cargo
- Articulated truck
- A heavy-goods vehicle with a tractor unit and a separate trailer. Gross combined weight typically above 32 tonnes. GLEC v3.2 WTW factor on European motorways is approximately 62 g CO2e per tonne-km at sector-average load and empty mileage.See also:Empty mileage
- Very Large Crude CarrierVLCC
- A crude-oil tanker with a deadweight tonnage between 200,000 and 320,000 dwt, carrying roughly 2 million barrels per voyage. Anything larger (320,000-550,000 dwt) is an ULCC. GLEC v3.2 places VLCC per-tkm emissions among the lowest in shipping at roughly 3 g CO2e per tonne-km on long laden voyages.
- Ultra-Large Container VesselULCV
- A container ship above 15,000 TEU capacity. The largest in service as of 2026 (MSC Irina-class) carry around 24,300 TEU. Per-tkm emissions are lowest in the global container fleet — typically 5-8 g CO2e per tonne-km WTW on Asia-Europe lanes — because fuel-burn scales sub-linearly with vessel size.
- Reefer container
- A refrigerated ISO container with onboard cooling powered by the ship's electrical grid or genset. GLEC v3.2 adds a reefer surcharge of roughly 20-40% on top of the base container factor depending on set-point temperature (banana lanes versus frozen seafood). Reefers also draw shore power in port, which falls under Scope 2 of the terminal operator.
- LNG carrier
- A specialised tanker carrying liquefied natural gas at -162 °C in cryogenic tanks. Membrane-type vessels (Mark III, NO96) dominate the 174,000-180,000 m3 size class. LNG carriers can burn part of the cargo boil-off as bunker fuel, giving them lower TTW intensity than oil tankers — but methane slip pushes WTW back up.
- Ro-Ro vesselRo-Ro
- Roll-on/Roll-off ships designed for wheeled cargo (cars, trucks, trailers, project cargo) that drives on board via a stern ramp. Pure car/truck carriers (PCTCs) carry 5,000-9,000 car-equivalent-units. GLEC v3.2 emission factors are quoted per car-equivalent-unit-kilometre rather than per tonne-km because density rather than mass governs vessel utilisation.See also:Container ship
- IMO number
- A unique seven-digit identifier permanently assigned to a ship by the International Maritime Organization, used in AIS broadcasts, port-call records, and emissions registries. IMO numbers are the join key that turns a Tier 3 vessel match (carrier-confirmed vessel for the voyage) into a Tier 2 calculation (per-vessel fuel intensity from IMO DCS data).
- Automatic Identification SystemAIS
- The VHF transponder system carried by virtually every commercial vessel above 300 GT, broadcasting position, speed, heading, and IMO number every few seconds. Combined with satellite reception, AIS gives near-global vessel tracking. EcoFreight and similar tools use AIS history to reconstruct actual sailed routes for Tier 2 sea-leg calculations rather than great-circle distance estimates.
- Bunker fuel
- The collective term for marine fuels burned by ocean-going vessels. The three dominant grades are HFO (heavy fuel oil, residual), VLSFO (very low sulphur fuel oil, IMO 2020 spec), and MGO (marine gas oil, distillate). LNG, methanol, and ammonia are entering the bunker mix but represent under 1% of global bunker demand in 2026.
- Very Low Sulphur Fuel OilVLSFO
- Bunker fuel formulated to meet the IMO 2020 global cap of 0.50% sulphur by mass. Replaced HFO as the dominant marine fuel outside Emission Control Areas from January 2020 onward. GLEC v3.2 WTW emission factor is approximately 3.82 kg CO2e per kg of fuel burned.
- Heavy Fuel OilHFO
- High-viscosity residual fuel oil with up to 3.5% sulphur — the dominant marine fuel before IMO 2020. Still permitted on vessels fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers). GLEC v3.2 WTW factor is approximately 3.81 kg CO2e per kg of fuel; the climate difference versus VLSFO is small but local air-pollution impact is large.
- Marine Gas OilMGO
- A distillate marine fuel with sulphur typically below 0.1%, mandatory inside SOx Emission Control Areas (North Sea, Baltic, North American ECA, US Caribbean ECA). GLEC v3.2 WTW emission factor is approximately 3.91 kg CO2e per kg — slightly higher than VLSFO on a per-kg basis but with lower local air-quality impact.
- Methanol (marine fuel)
- Methyl alcohol used as a low-flashpoint marine fuel. Grey methanol from natural gas offers no climate benefit over VLSFO on a WTW basis; bio-methanol and e-methanol (from renewable electricity and captured CO2) cut WTW intensity by 65-95%. Maersk's Laura Maersk (2023) and the dual-fuel orderbook through 2026 have made methanol the leading challenger to LNG for container-fleet decarbonisation.
- Ammonia (marine fuel)
- NH3 as a zero-carbon marine fuel. Green ammonia (made from green hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen via Haber-Bosch) has near-zero WTW CO2 emissions. Toxicity, N2O slip from incomplete combustion, and the lack of in-service engines have kept ammonia roughly five years behind methanol on deployment timelines as of 2026.
- Hydrogen (marine fuel)
- H2 used directly in fuel cells or internal-combustion engines. Volumetric energy density is poor even when liquefied at -253 °C, which restricts hydrogen to short-sea and inland shipping in the medium term. Green hydrogen — produced by electrolysis powered by renewable electricity — has near-zero WTW CO2; grey hydrogen from steam methane reforming has WTW intensity worse than VLSFO.
- Sustainable Aviation FuelSAF
- Drop-in jet fuel produced from biomass, waste oils, or synthesised from green hydrogen and captured CO2. ASTM D7566 currently permits blends up to 50% with conventional Jet A. WTW emission cuts range from 65% (HEFA from used cooking oil) to over 90% (e-SAF). The EU ReFuelEU Aviation mandate requires 2% SAF blending at EU airports in 2025, rising to 70% by 2050.
- Just-in-Time deliveryJIT
- A supply-chain strategy that synchronises inbound deliveries with production schedules, minimising inventory holding costs. JIT compresses transit-time windows and is a primary driver of air-freight reliance: a missed sea-freight departure can force an emergency air shipment at roughly 50-80x the CO2e intensity per tonne-km. Scope 3 Category 4 accounting makes the carbon cost of JIT failures increasingly visible.
- Modal shift
- Moving freight volume from a higher-emission mode to a lower-emission mode — typically road to rail or short-sea shipping. Rail in Europe carries freight at roughly 14-18 g CO2e per tonne-km WTW versus 62 g for road, a 70-75% saving. Modal shift is the most impactful near-term lever for shippers because no new fuel technology is required.
- Cabotage
- The right to carry freight between two domestic points within a country by a foreign-registered carrier. EU cabotage rules allow non-resident road hauliers up to three operations within seven days of an international delivery. Cabotage restrictions affect vehicle utilisation and empty-running rates, which in turn influence the sector-average emission factors used in GLEC default calculations.
- Backhaul
- Cargo carried on the return leg of a vehicle's round-trip, reducing empty running and improving load utilisation. A well-matched backhaul can reduce the effective emission intensity of a lane by 30-40% versus an equivalent one-way shipment. GLEC v3.2 Tier 2 allows carriers with audited backhaul data to replace the 25% default empty-mileage assumption with their actual values.
- Empty running
- Vehicle-kilometres travelled without payload. GLEC v3.2 defaults assume 25% empty running for articulated trucks; actual rates vary from under 15% on dedicated contract lanes to over 40% for spot haulage. A 10-percentage-point improvement in empty running cuts per-tonne-km emissions by roughly 10-13% on typical road lanes.
- Transshipment
- The transfer of cargo from one vessel to another at an intermediate hub port rather than sailing direct to the final destination. Around 30% of global container volumes are transshipped — primarily through Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Said, and Algeciras. ISO 14083 allocates hub-port handling emissions (typically 0.5-1.5 g CO2e per tonne per port call) to the shipment mass-pro-rata.
- E-fuel (synthetic fuel)
- Synthetic liquid fuels produced by combining green hydrogen (from electrolysis using renewable power) with captured CO2. Also called Power-to-X or electrofuels. WTW CO2e intensity can reach near-zero when both the hydrogen and CO2 are produced from renewable sources, but current production costs of USD 5-15 per litre make e-fuels roughly 5-10x more expensive than conventional bunker fuels. E-fuels are drop-in replacements compatible with existing engines.
- Biofuel
- Liquid or gaseous fuel derived from biomass — HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), FAME biodiesel, bio-methane, bio-methanol. A broader category than SAF: biofuels span road, marine, and aviation applications. Road HVO from certified waste feedstocks can cut WTW CO2e by 60-90% versus diesel; virgin-crop-based FAME typically saves 40-60%. Sustainability certification (ISCC, RSB) is required for most regulatory credits.
- Aviation biofuel pathways
- ASTM D7566 currently certifies three main pathways: HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, from waste oils, up to 50% blend), SAK (synthesised iso-paraffins from sugar fermentation, up to 10%), and ATJ (alcohol-to-jet from ethanol or isobutanol, up to 50%). HEFA dominates current SAF supply at roughly 80% of volume, as it is the only pathway at commercial scale. All three pathways require a Lifecycle Analysis to determine the WTW saving relative to conventional Jet A.
- Battery Electric VehicleBEV
- A road vehicle (here, a heavy-duty truck) powered entirely by a battery pack, with no onboard combustion engine. BEV trucks have ~75% lower TTW emissions than diesel but roughly 30% higher upstream manufacturing emissions due to the battery. Net WTW saving is approximately 50-60% on the current EU grid mix, rising toward 80-90% as the grid decarbonises. Payload penalty versus diesel is 1-2 tonnes for a 44-tonne articulated tractor-trailer.
- Range-extender hybrid truck
- A heavy truck with a large battery pack for urban and regional operation plus a small internal-combustion generator (diesel or HVO) that charges the battery on longer highway segments. WTW CO2e savings versus a full diesel are typically 30-50%, depending on the electric share of the duty cycle. Range extenders are positioned as a bridge technology for operators that cannot yet support depot charging for 300+ km highway routes.
Reporting & regulation
- Scope 3 emissions
- Emissions from a company's value chain that it does not directly own or control. Category 4 — Upstream transportation and distribution — is where freight emissions live. CSRD requires Scope 3 disclosure with methodology and data-quality-tier transparency.
- Corporate Sustainability Reporting DirectiveCSRD
- The EU disclosure regime applying to about 50,000 companies as of 2026 (large EU companies, EU subsidiaries of non-EU groups, and listed SMEs from 2027). Scope 3 Category 4 emissions must be disclosed and assured. EcoFreight responses include data-quality-tier and methodology version, both of which auditors will check.See also:Scope 3 emissions
- CDP
- A non-profit climate-disclosure platform used by investors and large buyers. CDP's climate questionnaire accepts GLEC-aligned freight emission numbers. As of 2026, over 23,000 companies disclose to CDP, with strong growth in Scope 3 reporting after the SBTi corporate-net-zero standard tightened its requirements.
- EU ETS Maritime
- The EU Emissions Trading System was extended to maritime shipping in 2024. As of 2026, all voyages between EU ports and 50% of voyages from EU to non-EU ports are in scope. EUA prices currently trade in the EUR 65-80/tCO2 range.See also:FuelEU Maritime
- FuelEU Maritime
- EU regulation in force from 1 January 2025, capping the average greenhouse-gas intensity of fuels used by ships above 5,000 GT calling at EU ports. The cap tightens stepwise from 2025 onward. Non-compliance penalties run EUR 2,400 per tonne VLSFO-equivalent over-limit.See also:EU ETS Maritime
- Carbon Intensity IndicatorCII
- IMO's annual rating system for ships above 5,000 GT. Vessels are scored A through E based on grams of CO2 per cargo-carrying capacity per nautical mile. Three consecutive D ratings, or one E, triggers a required corrective action plan.
- Science Based Targets initiativeSBTi
- A partnership setting voluntary greenhouse-gas reduction pathways for companies, aligned with 1.5 °C limiting. SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard requires at least 90% absolute reduction in scope 1, 2, and 3 by no later than 2050, with interim 2030 targets.See also:Scope 3 emissions
- GHG Protocol
- The Greenhouse Gas Protocol — the underlying global standard for corporate greenhouse-gas accounting, published by WRI and WBCSD. ISO 14083 and GLEC are both consistent with GHG Protocol; CDP, SBTi, and CSRD all reference it.
- Carbon Border Adjustment MechanismCBAM
- EU regulation imposing a carbon price on emissions embedded in imported goods (initially cement, iron, steel, aluminium, fertiliser, electricity, hydrogen). The transitional reporting phase began Q4 2023; the definitive period — which requires CBAM certificates — begins 1 January 2026. Embedded freight emissions are part of the calculation.
- Bunker Adjustment FactorBAF
- A surcharge on container freight rates tied to bunker fuel prices, recalculated quarterly by each carrier on a trade-lane basis. Not an emissions instrument but increasingly used as a proxy: a high BAF correlates with a fuel-heavy quarter and therefore higher emissions per shipment. EcoFreight does not use BAF in calculations; primary fuel-burn data is always preferred.See also:Bunker fuel
- Demurrage
- A charge levied by a carrier when a container is not picked up from the port within the free time allowance (typically 4-7 days). Distinct from detention, which covers containers held outside the terminal beyond their free period. Demurrage has no direct emissions effect but is often the visible KPI that exposes hub dwell times, which do feed into ISO 14083 hub-emission allocations.See also:Modal allocation
- IMO 2020
- The 1 January 2020 reduction of the global sulphur cap in marine fuel oil from 3.50% to 0.50% mass by mass. Drove the shift from HFO to VLSFO in non-scrubber-fitted vessels. Big air-quality win (SOx down by an order of magnitude) with a small adverse climate side-effect because removing sulphate aerosols slightly reduced the cooling effect over shipping lanes.
- IMO 2030 / 2040 / 2050 targets
- The IMO's 2023 revised greenhouse-gas strategy targets a 20-30% reduction in absolute shipping emissions by 2030, 70-80% by 2040, and net-zero "by or around" 2050, all versus a 2008 baseline. Indicative checkpoints include 5-10% zero or near-zero fuels by 2030. A global economic measure (carbon price for shipping) is being negotiated for adoption in 2025 with entry into force in 2027.
- Voluntary Carbon MarketVCM
- The market in which companies buy carbon credits to compensate for emissions they cannot yet eliminate. Project types include nature-based (REDD+, afforestation), engineered removals (DAC, biochar), and avoidance (renewable energy, cookstoves). 2026 prices range roughly USD 3-200 per tonne CO2e depending on vintage, registry, and additionality strength. CSRD allows credits in the transition plan narrative but not as a substitute for measured reductions.See also:Verra & Gold Standard
- Verra & Gold Standard
- The two largest voluntary carbon-credit registries. Verra (operator of the VCS Program) accounts for roughly 70% of issued credits globally; Gold Standard is the next largest with stronger sustainable-development co-benefit requirements. Both have tightened methodologies in 2024-2026 following the avoided-deforestation credibility crisis. Credit retirement records are public on each registry.See also:Voluntary Carbon Market
- Environmental, Social, GovernanceESG
- The umbrella label for non-financial corporate disclosure and investor screening. The "E" pillar absorbs greenhouse-gas accounting (Scope 1/2/3), water, waste, and biodiversity. Pure ESG ratings are increasingly being replaced by mandatory regulated disclosures — CSRD in the EU, ISSB-aligned regimes elsewhere — that demand the same data but with assurance.
- Task Force on Climate-related Financial DisclosuresTCFD
- The 2017 framework structuring climate disclosure around governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics-and-targets. Wound down in 2023 once its mandate transferred to the ISSB. Still cited in many mandates because TCFD-aligned reporting is the lineage from which IFRS S2 and CSRD ESRS E1 inherit their structure.
- International Sustainability Standards BoardISSB
- The IFRS Foundation board that issued IFRS S1 (general sustainability disclosures) and IFRS S2 (climate-specific disclosures) in June 2023. As of 2026, over 30 jurisdictions including the UK, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Brazil have adopted or are adopting ISSB-aligned regimes. ISSB S2 mandates Scope 3 disclosure with one year's phase-in relief.
- Streamlined Energy and Carbon ReportingSECR
- UK-only mandatory disclosure regime introduced in April 2019 for large UK companies (250+ employees, or £36M+ turnover, or £18M+ balance sheet). Requires annual disclosure of Scope 1 and 2 energy and GHG data in the Directors' Report. Scope 3 is encouraged but not currently mandatory. Third-party logistics and fleet-intensive sectors must also report energy-efficiency actions taken during the year.
- TCFD → ISSB transition
- TCFD was wound down in October 2023 after the ISSB confirmed it would monitor progress on TCFD-aligned disclosures going forward. IFRS S2:2023 is explicitly built on the four TCFD pillars (governance, strategy, risk management, metrics-and-targets), so TCFD reporters can migrate with relatively minor restructuring. Many national mandates still reference "TCFD-aligned" reporting as shorthand for IFRS S2 compliance.
- Science-based target vs SBTi
- A science-based target (SBT) is a company's emissions-reduction pathway aligned with 1.5 °C or well-below-2 °C scenarios from IPCC AR6. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is the independent body that validates and approves those targets against its criteria. A company "commits to" an SBT; SBTi validates it. As of 2026, over 9,000 companies have committed, with roughly 7,500 validated. Freight Scope 3 (Category 4) must be included when it exceeds 40% of a company's total footprint.
- Net zero vs carbon neutral
- Carbon neutral means that residual emissions after reduction efforts are fully offset by carbon credits in a given year — the balance is zero. Net zero (per SBTi and IPCC SR1.5) requires at least 90% absolute reduction first, with only the remaining ≤10% covered by permanent carbon removal (not avoidance credits). A company can be carbon-neutral today through offsets while still being decades away from net zero. CSRD and SBTi both require the distinction to be made explicit in disclosures.
Units
- CO2-equivalentCO2e
- A standardised unit that combines the warming effect of multiple greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N2O, etc.) using their 100-year Global Warming Potentials. EcoFreight returns all numbers in kilograms of CO2-equivalent.See also:Global Warming Potential
- Tonne-kilometretkm
- One tonne of freight transported one kilometre. The standard activity unit in freight carbon accounting. Multiply by an emission factor in g CO2e/tkm to get total emissions.See also:Emission factor
- Twenty-foot Equivalent UnitTEU
- The size unit for container shipping. One TEU is a standard 20-foot ISO container; a typical 40-foot container is 2 TEU. Container ship classes are quoted in TEU capacity (e.g. "container ship 8000+ TEU" in GLEC v3.2 means a vessel with capacity above 8,000 TEU).See also:Container ship
- Deadweight tonnageDWT
- The mass of cargo, fuel, water, and stores a ship can carry. Used to classify vessel sizes in GLEC factor tables, especially for tankers and bulk carriers.
- TEU-mile
- One TEU container moved one nautical mile — the IMO's preferred activity unit for container-ship CII calculations. Converts to tonne-kilometres via an assumed TEU mass (GLEC uses 10 t per TEU for container ships when actual cargo mass is unknown). The metric matters because container ships are volume-constrained, not mass-constrained.
- Net Tonne MileNTM
- One short tonne or metric tonne of paying freight moved one nautical or statute mile. The historical activity unit in US rail and trucking before the SI-aligned tonne-kilometre dominated. Still in active use in IMO documentation, US Class I railroad disclosures, and STB filings. One net-tonne-mile = 1.609 tonne-kilometres for statute miles.See also:Tonne-kilometre
Missing a term?
Email hello@ecofreight.co and we will add it. The glossary tracks all terms used in the methodology changelog and API responses — corrections welcome. External sources behind each factor are listed in the data sources catalogue. Try the freight emissions calculator to see these terms in action.