Dive Brief:
- FedEx launched a tool for shippers to track emissions tied to their packages’ movement throughout the carrier’s network, according to an announcement Wednesday.
- FedEx Sustainability Insights is available in the U.S. for all packages sent in the company's Express, Ground and Freight units, allowing businesses to better understand their shipping patterns and environmental impact via their shipments. There is no cost to access historical reporting, a spokesperson said in an email.
- The platform uses near-real time package scan data across its network and facilities to estimate carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for both individual package tracking numbers and accounts on FedEx.com. With this data, a shipper can run a shipping emissions report by scope, service type, transport mode and other metrics.
Dive Insight:
Shippers have clamored for more data on emissions tied to their packages as consumers increasingly weigh sustainability in their purchasing decisions, executive vice president and Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere said in a statement.
FedEx calculates the emissions for Sustainability Insights users by identifying each stop a package makes and the mode of transport it uses between each stop, according to its website. It also factors in non-transport emissions — such as the energy use and mobile equipment at its facilities — and allocates that to packages based on weight.
Certain emissions information outside the U.S. and Canada may be incomplete because of "system incompatibility," per FedEx's website.
FedEx Sustainability Insights will help the company reach its own sustainability goals by providing insights into more opportunities for network efficiency, according to the release. The delivery giant aims to have carbon neutral operations by 2040.
The company also announced it is offering shippers a new application programming interface (API) pilot program using Sustainability Insights.
The API allows customers to transfer their historical and predictive emissions data into their own systems. Its capabilities can help shippers manage their supply chain, increase operational compliance and integrate emissions estimates into online shoppers' carts, FedEx said in the release.
Merchants and business-to-business shippers in the U.S. can request to join the API pilot program, according to FedEx's website. There is not a minimum volume requirement for using the API, but there are fees involved.
