Rail Freight: ECTA

💡 High-Level Description:

The European Chemical Transportation Association (ECTA) plays a pivotal role in the European logistics and transportation realm, particularly in devising and promoting environmentally sustainable practices. In the rail freight sector, ECTA's methodologies for assessing carbon emissions emphasize precision and a holistic approach. Given that rail is already one of the more eco-efficient methods of transporting goods, particularly in the context of chemical transportation, ECTA's guidelines help further harness this potential.

ECTA's methodology focuses on the finer nuances of rail operations, from the specific type of fuel utilized to the kind of cargo, train length, and route efficiency. By integrating real-world operational data with rigorous carbon calculation methods, the ECTA provides rail freight operators with a tangible roadmap to understand and subsequently reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The framework not only ensures compliance with European environmental standards but also inspires confidence among stakeholders and clients about the industry's commitment to sustainability.

Sample API Requests

A. Without audit mode (for pre-booking/quotes)

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "items": [
    {
      "audit": false,
      "type": "rail_freight",
      "external_reference": "test_1",
      "distance_in_km": 100,
      "weight_in_tonnes": 10,
      "train_type": "container_train_intermodal", 
      "fuel_type": "diesel", 
      "methodology": "ECTA"
    }
  ]
}

B. With audit mode (for finalized/post-booking calculations)

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "audit_for": "<Auditable Entity ID>",
  "items": [
    {
      "audit": true,
      "type": "rail_freight",
      "external_reference": "test_1",
      "distance_in_km": 100,
      "weight_in_tonnes": 10,
      "train_type": "container_train_intermodal", 
      "fuel_type": "diesel", 
      "methodology": "ECTA"
    }
  ]
}

Note: audit_for is optional. Provide when calculating on behalf of a specific Auditable entity; otherwise omit.

API Request Items

• "type": "rail_freight" (required)

• "methodology": "ECTA" (required)

• "external_reference": A unique identifier that helps you link the resulting emissions to the requested item. Especially useful if multiple items are requested since SQUAKE cannot guarantee to keep the same order. The maximum length is 128 characters.

• "origin": SQUAKE will try to resolve the origin/destination regardless of its format. Ideally, for addresses use the Post standard, for airports use IATA/ICAO code (format: ^[A-Z]{3,4}$, e.g., "MUC"), for other locations used in trade and transportation use UN/LOCODE codes (format: ^[A-Z]{2}\W?[A-Z2-9]{3}$, e.g., "DEHAM"). You can also pass lat/long (format: ^[-+]?\d{1,3}\.\d{1,10}\s?,\s?[-+]?\d{1,3}\.\d{1,10}$, e.g., "+40.712,-74.006").

• "destination": SQUAKE will try to resolve the origin/destination regardless of its format. Ideally, for addresses use the Post standard, for airports use IATA/ICAO code (format: ^[A-Z]{3,4}$, e.g., "MUC"), for other locations used in trade and transportation use UN/LOCODE codes (format: ^[A-Z]{2}\W?[A-Z2-9]{3}$, e.g., "DEHAM"). You can also pass lat/long (format: ^[-+]?\d{1,3}\.\d{1,10}\s?,\s?[-+]?\d{1,3}\.\d{1,10}$, e.g., "+40.712,-74.006").

• "distance_in_km": Prioritized over origin and destination. If you don't have a distance_in_km, you can use origin and destination and the distance will be automatically resolved. If you pass both distance_in_km and origin/destination, then distance_in_km will be used.

• "weight_in_tonnes": Numeric value.

• "train_type": Values are average, container_train_intermodal, blocktrain_rtc, or single_wagon_train_rtc. Default value is average.

• "fuel_type": Values are electricity, average and diesel. Default value is average.

• "audit": boolean (optional). Set to true to create immutable audit records for finalized calculations. Must be enabled for your account.

Default values

• "train_type": "average"

• "fuel_type": "average"

Sample API Response

{
    "carbon_quantity": 28000,
    "carbon_unit": "gram",
    "items": [
        {
            "carbon_quantity": 28000,
            "carbon_unit": "gram",
            "external_reference": "test_1",
            "type": "rail_freight",
            "methodology": "ECTA",
            "distance": 100.0,
            "distance_unit": "kilometer"
        }
    ]
}

Bibliography

• Guidelines for Measuring and Managing CO Emission (2011, March). ECTA. Retrieved from https://www.ecta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/ECTA-CEFIC-GUIDELINE-FOR-MEASURING-AND-MANAGING-CO2-ISSUE-1.pdf

• Smart Freight Center (2024). Global Logistics Emissions Council Framework V3.1.