Agility received technical advice and support from the Carbon Trust, to help implement their bespoke web-based carbon measurement tool.
Multinational logistics company Agility employs 22,000 people across over 500 offices, operating in 100 countries. The company’s largest business unit, Agility Global Integrated Logistics, supports its clients by transporting their goods around the world by land, sea and air. In a year the company moves the equivalent of 740,000 shipping containers, as well as handling 415,000 tonnes of air freight.
Over recent years, Agility has become increasingly concerned with limiting its greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events.
As a major logistics provider, Agility decided to incorporate the measurement of its carbon footprint into its data collection processes. It started developing a methodology and tools to measure its own emissions, using that data to compare performance across its operations in different parts of the world, identifying areas for improvement.
Additionally, Agility developed the capability and tools to share emissions data with customers, allowing them to make better environmental decisions. This is much easier said than done. Agility’s outsourcing model, which combines air, ocean, road and rail shipping, means that producing an accurate footprint for customers can be a complex process, with many logistics solutions involving international deliveries made across multiple transport modes.
Once Agility had built its capability to measure emissions across the supply chain, the time came to compare its methodology and tools to the highest international standards. The company decided to work with independent experts from the Carbon Trust.
The Carbon Trust’s team performed an in-depth assessment of Agility’s bespoke web-based carbon footprinting tools and measurement methodology, as well as the company’s most recent emissions measurements. These were verified against ISO 14064, an international standard for emissions measurement, allowing the company to report with confidence. Going through this process, the Carbon Trust also helped Agility to further refine its methods, making them even more accurate and comprehensive.
As a next step, Agility will look into offering carbon credits, allowing customers to easily offset their emissions as they book their shipments.
Working with the Carbon Trust we knew we would be getting support from some of the world’s top experts on emissions measurement, with a reputation for excellence that our clients could rely on. But we were impressed by the practical insight we also got into strengthening our internal processes and finding the commercial value in taking action on sustainability.
Frank Clary, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Agility
