SHIPPING
by truck from Germany to France
Emissions
5
kg CO2e
FOLLOW OUR CALCULATION
Click the expendable headlines to look at each step of the calculation.
The parcels are first transported by a light truck from a factory in Germany to a distribution center in Frankfurt. They are then transported by a heavy truck to a distribution center in Paris, France. Finally, the parcels are transported by a light truck to the recipient’s home. We distinguish between light and heavy trucks because they have different energy efficiencies. All trucks are powered by diesel.
Note that we have not included any emissions for the production of the contents of the parcels, and that clothing or gadgets are just examples. This means that only the emissions from the shipping itself are included.
Assumptions and values
The following data have been used to calculate the emissions from shipping:
- Weight per parcel: 2.5 kg
- Transportation distance by heavy truck: 600 km (the distance between Frankfurt and Paris)
- Transportation distance by light truck: 200 km (the total distance between the factory and the distribution center in Germany, and between the distribution center in Paris and the recipient).
- Energy consumption for transportation by heavy truck: 1.9 MJ per ton and km
- Energy consumption for transportation by light truck: 3.6 MJ per ton and km
- Emissions from combustion of diesel: 89 g CO2e per MJ
The energy use is calculated by multiplying the total weight of the twelve parcels by the energy use of the truck transportation and the transportation distance, for the heavy and light trucks respectively.
Heavy truck: 2.5 kg per month × 12 months × 1.9 MJ per ton and km × 600 km ≈ 34 MJ
Light truck: 2.5 kg per month × 12 months × 3.6 MJ per ton and km × 200 km ≈ 22 MJ
The calculations show that energy use amounts to 34 MJ for the heavy truck and 22 MJ for the light trucks. This means that the total energy consumption amounts to 56 MJ (91 + 22 MJ).
The greenhouse gas emissions from diesel consumption are calculated by multiplying the energy consumption of truck transportation by the emission factor for diesel combustion.
56 MJ × 89 g CO2e per MJ ≈ 5 kg CO2e
The calculation shows that shipping causes emissions of 5 kg CO2e.
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