Rail Freight: GLEC

💡 High-Level Description:

The Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) is at the forefront of creating a unified approach for the calculation and reporting of logistics greenhouse gas emissions. In the realm of rail freight, the GLEC Framework is pivotal, offering a harmonized method that spans across all logistics sectors. As rail freight already stands as an eco-favorable choice for cargo movement, the incorporation of GLEC's methodology further accentuates its sustainable characteristics.

GLEC's comprehensive approach entails the consideration of factors like train type, fuel consumption, distance covered, and cargo weight. It not only allows rail freight operators to account for their emissions but also aids in the identification of potential areas for emission reductions. By providing a standardized metric system and promoting transparency, GLEC aids businesses in making informed decisions, bolstering the rail freight sector's eco-friendly stature and ensuring its alignment with global emission targets.

Sample API Requests

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

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "items": [
    {
      "audit": false,
      "type": "rail_freight",
      "external_reference": "test_1",
      "origin": "OSL",
      "destination": "HEL",
      "weight_in_tonnes": 86,
      "fuel_type": "diesel",
      "load_characteristic": "coal_steel",
      "methodology": "GLEC"
    }
  ]
}

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",
      "origin": "OSL",
      "destination": "HEL",
      "weight_in_tonnes": 86,
      "fuel_type": "diesel",
      "load_characteristic": "coal_steel",
      "methodology": "GLEC"
    }
  ]
}

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": "GLEC" (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.

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

• "energy_scope": Values are ttw or wtw. Default value is wtw.

• "load_characteristic": Values are average, container, cars, chemicals, coal_steel, building_materials, manufactured_products, cereals, truck_trailer_on_train, or trailer_only_on_train. 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

• "fuel_type": "diesel"

• "load_characteristic": "average"

Sample API Response

{
    "carbon_quantity": 1334170,
    "carbon_unit": "gram",
    "items": [
        {
            "carbon_quantity": 1334170,
            "carbon_unit": "gram",
            "external_reference": "test_1",
            "type": "rail_freight",
            "methodology": "GLEC",
            "distance": 768.0,
            "distance_unit": "kilometer",
            "algorithm_specifics": {
                "algorithm_type": "glec",
                "data": {
                    "co2e_in_g": 1334170,
                    "co2e_emissions_wtw_in_g": 1334170,
                    "co2e_per_tonne_km_in_g": 20,
                    "tonne_km": 66048,
                    "reporting_year": 2024,
                    "transportation_mode": "rail_transportation"
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Smart Freight Center helped us fine tune our calculations of all freight and logistics related operations in accordance with the GLEC framework.

Bibliography

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

• Towards efficient and zero emissions (n.d.). Smart Freight Centre. Retrieved from https://www.smartfreightcentre.org/en/