Beyond EN 16528 – towards a global standardisation of the calculation of CO2 emissions along supply cha

Abstract

European countries are expected to reduce their total annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by at least 20% by 2020 and by 60-80% by 2050, compared to 1990 emission levels. In order for the logistics sector to contribute to achieving such emissions reductions, and thus to optimise their efficiency and effectiveness, it is necessary to be able to compare different supply chains. Standards for the calculation of CO2 emissions are a prerequisite for such comparability. EN 16258 is an important step towards such a standardisation; however, it is a European standard and with more and more supply chains being of international nature, a global standard will be needed. Other organisations, corporates and interest groups have also developed approaches for a CO2 emission calculation standard. This contribution reflects how on-going work and efforts worldwide could be aligned to achieve a further convergence of existing emission calculation tools and approaches.