Policy & Compliance
The GLEC Framework and ISO 14083
At the BIFA National Conference in May we welcomed Dr Alan Lewis, Chief Technical Of fi cer of the Smart Freight Centre (SFC), who provided Members with an excellent and informative overview of the GLEC framework
D r Alan Lewis explained that the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is an international non-pro fi t organisation focused on reducing the emission impacts of global freight transportation. Led by SFC, the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) was established in 2014 as a partnership between over 40 leading businesses, associations and industry initiatives involved in freight movement, and backed by experts and other institutes. The GLEC framework provides one universal and transparent way of calculating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the global multimodal supply chain and can be used by companies to compare and select more fuel-efficient modes and carriers, as well as identifying ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs. GLEC serves as the primary guideline to support the implementation of the ISO:14083 standard for the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. SFC updates the GLEC framework annually and the ISO standard is updated every five years. BIFA Sustainable Logistics Policy Group BIFA was delighted when Dr Lewis also agreed to attend a meeting of the BIFA Sustainable Logistics Policy Group at the end of June, where he provided a deep dive into the background, structure and content of the GLEC framework, including ongoing developments, links to other standards, the role of emissions factors and emission reduction allocation via Book & Claim. Some of the key points noted during the session are shared here.
GLEC Framework methodology To enable decarbonisation the following steps are required: • Report and calculate credible emissions across the multi- modal supply chain, • Set targets for emission reduction that are science based, • Reduce emissions by implementing solutions as buyer or supplier, • Collaborate and advocate for sector-wide action and supportive policy. The methodology of calculation is mass-distance allocation, based on the mass of goods being transported, the distance travelled and emission intensity. This means that forwarders can use shipment weight, distance travelled and an emissions intensity factor to calculate an accurate estimate of the emissions produced
for a given shipment. GLEC is focused solely on calculating transport chain emissions and the data transfer should reflect the contract arrangements. The data types fall into three categories: • Primary data – A value obtained from a direct measurement, or a calculation based on direct measurements, • Secondary data – Data that does not fulfil the requirements for primary data, • Modelled data – Default values from a published source. Whilst primary data is always preferrable, companies often use a mixture of primary, secondary and modelled data when inputting data for carbon calculations. Emissions associated with relevant empty mileage should also be included. The Emission Factor is a conversion factor that translates
“ The GLEC framework provides one universal and transparent way of calculating greenhouse gas emissions across the global multimodal supply chain
8 | August 2025
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