Wednesday, March 13, 2024
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) together with the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) have launched a partnership aimed at enhancing the accuracy and transparency of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions calculations for air freight shipments. This collaboration marks a significant progression in the air transport industry’s journey towards decarbonization.
Their combined efforts will be directed towards the development of the cargo dimension of IATA’s CO2 Connect platform, which had its passenger counterpart successfully introduced in 2022. The CO2 Connect platform is distinguished by its reliance on primary industry data to facilitate precise carbon emissions calculations. Through partnering with the SFC’s Clean Air Transport Program, the initiative aims to standardize CO2 emissions calculation methodologies, ensuring that the air cargo sector’s largest shippers and freight forwarders receive consistent and accurate CO2 metrics for both pre-shipment assessment and reporting needs.
“Our partnership with the Smart Freight Center will help us to accelerate the development of CO2 Connect for air cargo as the most authoritative tool for carbon calculations. This is important for airlines, shippers and their customers who all need accurate calculations based on real data to support their contributions to global decarbonization efforts,” said Frederic Leger, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Commercial Products & Services, at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium (WCS) in Hong Kong.
“A key milestone has been reached and this has been a long time in the making. The need for unified emissions data is stronger than ever and this milestone will enable cargo transport service purchasers to make well-founded, long-term decisions. Transparency is key to drive decarbonization investments and activities, encouraging collaborative and synergetic action throughout the value chain. Our partnership with IATA will enable effective collaboration by building trust and exchanging information across the value chain which, in turn, will help in accelerating our ongoing efforts in decarbonizing the aviation industry,” said Andrea Schoen, SFC Director of the Clean Air Transport program.
Pilot Initiative
As part of this initiative, IATA and SFC are collaborating with Kuehne+Nagel, serving as a test customer for the IATA CO2 Connect for Cargo tool. This step is taken to guarantee the platform addresses the specific demands and requirements of freight forwarders and their clients effectively.
“As a freight forwarder, we can attest to the value that this collaboration will bring to the industry and to our customers.” said Fabiano Piccinno, Global Head of Sustainability Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel. “We’re happy to bring our expertise to the table and we look forward to seeing this project paving the way for future sustainable solutions in aviation.”
Tags: Air Cargo, air transport, co2 emissions, decarbonization, IATA, SFC
Saturday, April 27, 2024
