To calculate transport-related emissions, the distance traveled by the goods must first be determined. This distance, together with the transported weight, forms the basis for accurately calculating the resulting emissions.
In SAP Sustainability Footprint Management (SFM), transport distances are automatically calculated using the Great Circle Distance (GCD) approach, which determines the shortest path between two points along the surface of the globe. However, actual transportation routes rarely follow this ideal line due to factors such as road layouts, infrastructure limitations, and routing constraints, meaning that GCD may underestimate real-world distances.
To address this, the system allows you to define distance correction factors for different transport modes within the configurations of the Manage Transport Settings application. When transport routes and legs are created, these factors are applied to the calculated GCD, resulting in distances that better mirror actual transport conditions and improve the accuracy of footprint calculations.
Before setting these correction factors, it is important to review the underlying methodology of your emission factor sources for the transport calculations. Certain datasets already account for such deviations, for instance, GLEC v3.1 emission factors for air freight incorporate their own distance adjustments. Adding an additional factor in these cases would distort the results.
It is also important to note that changes to these settings do not affect existing transport records in SFM automatically. To reflect updated distance adjustments, you need to regenerate routes and legs and then recalculate the associated transport footprints.
Reach out to us if you have any questions or doubts about the distance adjustment factors in SAP SFM.
