Freight Emission Tracking for Large Datasets in the Textile Industry

Sustainability has become a key priority for companies, driving the need for precise carbon footprint tracking. BearingPoint offers a powerful solution, enabling detailed freight emissions calculation even when managing extensive datasets. While our solution has been proven effective in addressing complex sustainability challenges for global clients in the textile industry, its capabilities are not limited to any specific sector, making it applicable across a wide range of industries.

The need for precision in emissions tracking:

Freight transportation contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions. Accurately tracking freight transportation emissions is crucial for meeting today's detailed sustainability goals. Whether goods are transported by truck, ship, or plane, understanding their environmental impact is essential. Relying on aggregated data and general estimates is often insufficient for achieving precise sustainability targets.

Key challenges for freight emission calculations include:

• Complex supply chains: Freight systems involve multiple transportation modes and touchpoints, leading to fragmented data.
• Data volume: Large-scale logistics operations generate huge amounts of data.
• Regulatory pressures: Stricter carbon reporting standards demand a granular and accurate approach.

For a client in the textile industry, BearingPoint calculated freight emissions using 40GB of transactional data spanning a fiscal year. This data included almost 180,000,000 records from shipments over multiple regions and transportation modes.

The system processed and analyzed each shipment’s carbon footprint using detailed factors, including:

• Mode of transportation: Differentiating between truck, rail, sea, and air freight.
• Vehicle information: Includes default or carrier-specific details such as vehicle type, fuel type, and fuel consumption.
• Route-specific details: Routing, distance, and efficiency.
• Shipment specifications: Weight, dimensions, and handling requirements.
• Emission factors: Vehicle specific or per type of fuel used.

Beyond its ability to process large-scale data, the system ensures that analyses align with industry-specific needs and sustainability goals. For example, it considers unique operational challenges and requirements within the textile industry, such as diverse shipping routes, varying shipment sizes, and handling conditions, offering a tailored approach to freight emissions tracking. Before individual shipment data is processed, detailed business rules to transform raw customer data are applied, ensuring the setup aligns precisely with the client’s specific requirements.

✅ Integration with Global Standards

The software solution aligns with industry frameworks such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and GLEC 3, ensuring compliance with international standards. This integration enables companies to meet regulatory requirements and maintain transparency with stakeholders.

✅ Transforming big data into valuable insights

Beyond handling massive datasets, the system delivers valuable insights, including:

• Transparent reporting: Shipment-level emissions data fosters customer trust and competitive advantage.
• Regulatory compliance: Comprehensive reporting ensures adherence to evolving environmental standards.
• Auditable analytics: Ensures a clear and traceable process for carbon footprint calculations.