The Smart Freight Centre and SEI have partnered to enhance global logistics climate reporting. Through an update to the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) framework, they have added air pollutant reporting alongside greenhouse gases for the first time. This update strengthens transparency and consistency across the logistics sector and makes sustainability reporting more actionable for companies of all sizes.
The global logistics sector, core to everyday trade, faces a growing challenge: reducing its environmental impact. With multimodal supply chains spanning road, rail, ocean and air, accurately quantifying and reporting emissions is the essential first step towards effective reduction.
This is the challenge the GLEC framework was designed to solve. Led by the Smart Freight Centre, the GLEC program brings together companies and non-governmental organizations to drive transparent and consistent calculation and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The framework is the globally recognized method for calculating and reporting these emissions across complex logistics networks. Its purpose is to provide businesses with a reliable, common standard for benchmarking performance, setting climate goals and tracking progress.
The logistics sector sits at the crossroads of global trade and climate action. Most products delivered by road, rail, sea or air carry both a carbon footprint and a health impact. As awareness grows about pollutants that harm people and the planet, the need for an approach that integrates air pollutant emissions with existing greenhouse gas reporting has become clear.
For years, corporate sustainability efforts have rightly focused on greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, as regulation and environmental awareness expand, the role of air pollutants is coming into sharper focus. In regions such as the European Union, many companies are now required to report air pollutant emissions.
This partnership, funded by the Clean Air Fund, became part of a planned update when the Smart Freight Centre asked SEI to integrate new air pollutant emission guidance into the existing greenhouse gas framework.
SEI’s technical expertise ensured that complex methodologies were distilled into clear, practical guidance. The Institute built on its earlier publication A practical guide for business: air pollutant emission assessment, designed to make technical methods accessible to companies without in-house logistics or advanced reporting expertise.
The new methodology provides added value beyond carbon reporting. While greenhouse gas emissions contribute to long-term climate change, air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), sulphur oxides (SOₓ), particulate matter (PM₂.₅, PM₁₀) and black carbon have immediate and serious effects on public health and are classified as short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).
During the launch of the GLEC Framework, Eleni Michalopoulou presents the methodology online while Benedict Smith participates from the meeting room.
Photo: Jennifer Aghaji/SEI
As technical partners, SEI contributed its scientific rigour and practical experience in emissions accounting to develop a new guidance report Air pollutant emissions methodology for the logistics sector. Released in October 2025 as part of the updated GLEC framework, the report broadens the tool’s scope, enabling companies to quantify and report SLCPS using data they already collect for greenhouse gas reporting.
The result is a single workflow for climate and air quality reporting. It utilizes familiar activity data – fuel consumption, distance travelled and mode of transport – and extends it to cover air pollutants. Combining the two methodologies streamlines reporting and helps companies save both time and money.
The most rewarding aspect of seeing SEI research embedded into a global guide that will now be used by thousands of companies worldwide is the heightened engagement with our work. The closer these methodologies are aligned with companies’ needs and the existing frameworks, the more businesses will begin reporting air pollutants and developing powerful mitigation strategies. – Eleni Michalopoulou
But what does this mean in practice? For logistics companies, the update means they can now see the complete picture of their environmental impact – not only carbon but also the air quality effects that often go unmeasured.
This could be used to inform company decisions, for example, a parcel carrier could use fuel data it already tracks for greenhouse gas reporting to estimate air pollutant emissions from its activities, then compare the reduction in PM₂.₅ emissions that might be achieved when contemplating an upgrade from old Euro 3 to modern Euro 5 road fleet vehicles.
This integrated approach transforms reporting into a strategic tool, enabling leaders to develop targeted mitigation strategies that inform investment decisions, shape corporate sustainability strategies, and report more effectively to customers and regulators.
Project / The project incorporates SLCPs and other air pollutants into the GLEC Framework on emissions tracking for businesses.
Project / We provide in-depth technical support to the Alliance secretariat and corporate members on value chain air pollution emissions reductions and target setting.
Project / SEI and CCAC support Brazil's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in developing a National Plan on SLCP to combat climate change and air pollution.
Other publication / The 2025 methodology enables logistics companies to quantify air pollutant emissions across all major modes of transportation.
Other publication / This publication provides businesses with practical guidance that will enable them to quantify air pollutant emissions down their value chains.
Other publication / The 2025 Integrated Guide for Business GHG and Air Pollutant Emission Assessment updates the 2022 Practical Guide for Business.
