Smarter Freight, Cleaner Planet: My Journey into Carbon Transparency

Over the past couple of years, I've spent a lot of time rethinking how freight forwarding can actually contribute to reducing global emissions, rather than just being another industry trying to catch up with regulation. Freight, by its nature, is a heavy emitter. Ships, planes, trucks—they all burn fuel to move things around. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to change how those emissions are understood, managed, and ultimately reduced.

One of the most pivotal projects I’ve led recently involved integrating granular carbon accounting into our freight management systems. I teamed up with Pledge, who specialise in emissions measurement, and together we created a system that doesn’t just give you a single emissions number at the end of a shipment. Instead, it breaks things down by shipment leg—so you can see exactly where emissions are occurring, whether it’s from the road transport to the port, the sea voyage, or the final mile delivery.

What makes this approach so effective is that it’s not just about visibility—it’s about making the data actionable. By knowing which parts of the journey are responsible for the highest emissions, you can start to do something about it. For instance, switching air freight to sea (where timelines allow) can cut emissions dramatically. Encouraging clients to use less-than-container-load (LCL) shipping, or slow steaming options, also makes a noticeable difference. Sometimes it’s as simple as improving container fill rates or picking ports closer to the final delivery point.

One thing I underestimated at the start was just how complex emissions tracking would be for the average freight customer. For large multinationals with sustainability teams, it’s manageable. But for SMEs, who make up a huge portion of global trade, the frameworks like Scope 3 reporting are intimidating. Many didn’t even know where to begin. So, a lot of the work went into simplifying the experience. We designed a system that shows emissions data clearly, at the right level of detail—shipment, leg, or even container—and made it downloadable for ESG or compliance reports.

Internally, we also had to level up. I ran sessions with our teams to get everyone familiar with emissions frameworks, compliance expectations like CBAM, and the details of the GLEC methodology. This was crucial—not just so we could speak confidently to clients, but because we needed to embed this knowledge throughout the business. It’s not enough for sustainability to sit in a silo—it has to inform decisions across commercial, operations, and tech teams.

We didn’t just want to report emissions—we wanted to help reduce them. That’s where the real value lies. Once you give someone reliable data and show them the levers they can pull—faster isn’t always better, closer ports can matter more than cheapest rates, air freight might save time but cost tonnes of CO₂—they start to rethink the trade-offs. It becomes less about carbon being a tick-box exercise and more about it being part of smarter logistics planning.

We’ve already seen results. Some of our larger clients have managed to reduce emissions on individual trade lanes by over 10%—just through better planning. One notable shift was in moving recurring air shipments to consolidated sea freight. It took more upfront coordination, but the environmental payoff was huge. For others, minor changes—like optimising warehouse locations or being more flexible on delivery times—helped trim their carbon footprint significantly.

This project also made us more attractive to clients who are serious about sustainability. It became a differentiator. We weren’t just another logistics provider—we were a partner helping them achieve their Net Zero goals. That shift in perception opened doors to new conversations and new types of customers. And more importantly, it raised the bar for what shippers should expect from their logistics partners.

But the path wasn’t without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles was the fragmented nature of freight. Each mode—air, sea, road—has its own data standards, carriers, and reporting quirks. Getting consistent, trustworthy emissions data across all of them wasn’t straightforward. We had to lean heavily on GLEC standards to ensure our methodology was sound and auditable.

Then there was the challenge of turning all that data into something usable. Data for data’s sake is useless unless it helps people make decisions. That’s why we focused hard on the user experience—how the emissions info is displayed, how it fits into reporting structures, how easy it is to understand without needing to be a carbon accountant.

Looking ahead, I see a lot of potential to take this further. Emissions optimisation tools are next on the roadmap—things that suggest better shipment routes, recommend greener options, or even allow clients to offset emissions directly in-platform. But the foundation is solid: accurate, trusted data, delivered in a way that empowers real change.

And the impact isn’t limited to just clients. Our team now has a stronger understanding of sustainability, our tech stack has evolved to handle complex environmental data, and our culture has shifted. Sustainability isn’t something bolted on at the end of a service—it’s part of the conversation from the start. That’s a big change, and one I’m proud to have helped drive.

At the end of the day, freight might always emit something—but with the right tools and mindset, we can make sure it emits less, and more intelligently. This project was about showing that practical sustainability in freight isn’t just possible—it’s essential. And once people see the results, it stops being a burden and starts becoming a competitive advantage.