EN1.3.9
Freighting Goods
Environment
- Measuring GHG Emissions
Freighting Goods
Freighting goods simply means transporting goods (products, materials, etc.) from one place to another, typically in large quantities and using commercial transport services (like trucks, ships, trains, or planes).
“Freighting goods factors” refer to emissions factors or impact multipliers used to estimate the environmental impact (usually carbon emissions) of shipping goods. These factors help you calculate how much CO₂ is emitted when goods are transported.
Scope 3 emissions under greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, as they involve indirect emissions not directly controlled by the company.
This value links to the Master Value EN1 GHG Emissions value.
Key Value
£252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e
The monetised value of CO₂e emissions for freighting goods
Vans: Average (up to 3.5 tonnes) – Petrol: £0.21 per tonne.km
HGV (all diesel): All HGVs – Average Laden: £0.02 per tonne.km
HGV refrigerated (all diesel): All HGVs – Average Laden: £0.11 per tonne.km
Freight flights: Domestic, to/from UK: £1.18 per tonne.km
Rail: Freight train: £0.008 per tonne.km
Cargo ship: General Cargo –Average size: £0.002 per tonne.km
This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted.
Conversion factors should be used to report Scope 3 emissions for freighting goods. For more information about principles for GHG accounting and reporting and three “scopes” of emissions, please visit MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.
According to the 2021 carbon values from DESNZ/BEIS, Carbon values in £2020 prices per tonne of CO2: central series for 2023 is £252 per t CO₂e or 25.2p per kg CO₂e. For more information, please visit MeasureUp GHG Emissions value.
UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e for freighting good for different vehicles. Access the data.
Freighting goods factors should be used specifically for the shipment of goods over land, by sea or by air through a third-party company. Factors are available for a whole vehicle’s worth of goods or per tonne of goods shipped via a specific transport mode.
| Activity | Type | Unit* | kg CO2e | Monetised Value (£) |
| Vans | Average (up to 3.5 tonnes) – Petrol | tonne.km | 0.82 | £0.21 |
| HGV (all diesel) | All HGVs – Average Laden** | tonne.km | 0.097 | £0.02 |
| HGV refrigerated (all diesel) | All HGVs – Average Laden** | tonne.km | 0.11 | £0.03 |
| Freight flights | Domestic, to/from UK | tonne.km | 4.67 | £1.18 |
| Rail | Freight train | tonne.km | 0.03 | £0.008 |
| Cargo ship | General Cargo – Average Size | tonne.km | 0.01 | £0.002 |
* An equivalent measure of one tonne of transported goods over one km.
** The average percentage laden for a freighting vehicle in the UK.
Please visit the government conversion factors for greenhouse gas reporting website for further guidance.
This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted. The value should therefore not be presented as a positive value or added to an overall social value figure.
Local Needs Analysis Data Source
Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.
Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.
To assess local needs related to the value EN1.3.9 ‘Freighting Goods’, use the Greenhouse Gas Emissions data provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. This indicator measures carbon emissions across sectors and is available annually at both local authority and regional levels. It supports understanding of local contributions to climate change and progress toward net zero targets
Bronze
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Bronze level, you should calculate the approximate CO2 emissions from freighting goods. Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions per tonne of goods shipped via a specific transport mode.
Here’s an example
A retailer company wants the calculate impacts is the goods it has freighted to its regional storage facilities for sorting and the goods that are subsequently couriered to its customers.
| Activity | Type | Tonne | km | kg CO₂e/tonne.km | Monetised Value (£) |
| HGV | All HGVs – Average Laden | 20 | 500 | 0.097 | £244.44 |
| Cargo ship | General Cargo – Average Size | 150 | 3500 | 0.01 | £1,323 |
Total monetised value from freighting goods for this company is £244+£1,323 = £1,567
Silver
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Silver level, you should calculate the emissions by activity, by type of vehicle, as each produces different levels of carbon emissions. Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions per tonne of goods shipped via a specific transport mode.
UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e by activity, by type of vehicle. Access the data.
| Activity | List of type of vehicle |
| Vans | Class I (up to 1.305 tonnes); Class II (1.305 to 1.74 tonnes); Class III (1.74 to 3.5 tonnes); Average (up to 3.5 tonnes) |
| HGV (all diesel) | Rigid (>3.5 – 7.5 tonnes); Rigid (>7.5 tonnes-17 tonnes); Rigid (>17 tonnes); All rigids; Articulated (>3.5 – 33t); Articulated (>33t); All artics; All HGVs |
| HGV refrigerated (all diesel) | Rigid (>3.5 – 7.5 tonnes); Rigid (>7.5 tonnes-17 tonnes); Rigid (>17 tonnes); All rigids; Articulated (>3.5 – 33t); Articulated (>33t); All artics; All HGVs |
| Freight flights | Domestic, to/from UK; Short-haul, to/from UK; Long-haul, to/from UK; International, to/from non-UK |
| Rail | Freight train |
| Sea tanker | Crude tanker; Products tanker; Chemical tanker; LNG tanker; LPG Tanker |
| Cargo ship | Bulk carrier; General cargo; Container ship; Vehicle transport; RoRo-Ferry; Large RoPax ferry; Refrigerated cargo |
Here’s an example
A retailer company wants the calculate impacts is the goods it has freighted to its regional storage facilities for sorting and the goods that are subsequently couriered to its customers.
For its ‘goods in’, it knows the mass of items delivered to the UK by cargo ship and HGV. It knows which country the goods are being delivered from so it can work out the km travelled during import. Company takes the tonnage and multiplies it by the distance travelled to achieve a tonne.km value. It then multiplies by the appropriate cargo ship factor for its ship type (in this case, ‘general cargo, unknown’). This provides the emissions for the ‘goods in’.
| Activity | Type | tonne | km | kg CO₂e/tonne.km | Monetised Value (£) |
| HGV (all diesel) | Rigid (>17 tonnes) – Average laden | 20 | 500 | 0.154 | £388.1 |
| Cargo ship | Bulk carrier – 10,000–34,999 dwt | 100 | 2000 | 0.008 | £403.2 |
| Cargo ship | Refrigerated cargo – All dwt | 50 | 1500 | 0.013 | £245.7 |
| Total Monetised Value | £1,037 | ||||
Gold
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Gold level, you would be expected to
- Measure more accurately using more specific data for you in-scope activities.
- Track the emissions over time. Steps in tracking emissions (choosing a base year and recalculating base year emissions) are explained in detail in the GHG Protocol Chapter 5 – Tracking Emissions Over Time
Here’s an example
A retailer company wants the calculate impacts is the goods it has freighted to its regional storage facilities for sorting and the goods that are subsequently couriered to its customers.
The mass of items is delivered to the UK by cargo ship and HGV in 2023. In 2024, they decide to change the delivery method from HGV to rail to decrease their carbon emissions.
| Year | Activity | Type | tonne | km | kg CO₂e/tonne.km | Monetised Value (£) |
| 2023 | HGV (all diesel) | Rigid (>17 tonnes) – Average laden | 20 | 500 | 0.154 | £388.1 |
| 2023 | Cargo ship | Bulk carrier – 10,000–34,999 dwt | 100 | 2000 | 0.008 | £403.2 |
| 2023 | Cargo ship | Refrigerated cargo – All dwt | 50 | 1500 | 0.013 | £245.7 |
| Total monetised value for 2023 | £1,037 | |||||
| 2024 | Rail | Freight train | 20 | 500 | 0.03 | £75.60 |
| 2024 | Cargo ship | Bulk carrier – 10,000–34,999 dwt | 100 | 2000 | 0.008 | £403.20 |
| 2024 | Cargo ship | Refrigerated cargo – All dwt | 50 | 1500 | 0.013 | £245.70 |
| Total monetised value for 2024 | £724.5 | |||||
The monetised value of the reduction in greenhouse gas emission from 2023 to 2024 for material usage is £1,037 – £724.5 = £312.5.
Gold+
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
In the Gold+ level of GHG emission values, you can focus on better management and improvement of your reporting on the GHG emissions.
The following steps could be useful:
- Set clear targets and a target date
- Provide resources to take the actions necessary to meet your target
Environmental Reporting Guidelines: In the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Guidance (SECR) there are two types of targets outlined:
- An absolute reduction target which compares absolute figures in the target year to the base year
- An intensity target based in an appropriate other unit or normalising factor (e.g. kgCO2e per km/miles driven)
For more information please visit Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting guidance (SECR).
The actions under Gold+ for the environmental values in MeasureUp are also in line with the eighth Principle of Social Value ‘Be Responsive’ which represents the imperative for organisations to respond to impact measurement or ‘Social Value accounts’ with action to improve positive impact and decrease negative impact. Users of this Standard will create a structured ‘impact management approach’ that can guide decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels to optimise impacts on wellbeing.
| Value Type: | Activity |
What's this?
This is the type of value. Some values are outcomes, which means many different interventions might lead to them, while others are specific interventions that have a set value. |
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| UN SDG Categories: |
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What's this?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are global goals adopted in 2015 for all signed up nations to achieve for us to have a sustainable global future by 2030. There are 17 Goals that address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. |
| 2020 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
PPN 06/20 Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts introduced the Central Government Social Value Model in 2020 which all Central Government contracting authorities must use in their in scope procurements. It consists of 5 themes, 8 policy outcomes, and 24 Model Award Criteria which outline key priority areas to achieve more social value. |
| 2025 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
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Evidence
Measure Up focuses on empowering you to numerically measure the impact you’re having. We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.
We recommend seeing consent from one or more participants in your intervention to collect and tell their story. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of, and after, the intervention.
Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music, etc from creative interventions) can add more colour, and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.
In some cases it’s appropriate to anonymise or abbreviate the personal information of case study participants. No story should be published or shared without the recorded consent of the individual(s) it concerns. Individuals continue to own the rights to their stories and if they request you stop sharing the story or making it available online you should do so promptly and without need for justification.
Feedback
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