CO₂ Emissions • Logistics • Modal Shift • Insight • Reduction
CO₂ emissions in logistics: facts, impact and choices
More sustainable transport starts with insight. Ships, trucks, trains and terminals together emit considerable amounts of CO₂ — and the pressure to reduce those emissions is growing, from regulation, from customers and from costs. Whoever knows their CO₂ emissions per shipment can steer deliberately instead of guessing.
In short: what are CO₂ emissions in logistics?
CO₂ emissions in logistics are the greenhouse gases released when goods are transported and handled — by ship, aircraft, train, barge or truck. The emissions per container carried differ strongly per mode and are calculated using standardised emission factors. Insight into those figures per shipment is the first step: only then can you reduce deliberately, through smarter planning, consolidation and a modal shift to rail or barge.
CO₂ emissions touch almost every logistics decision: the balance between sea freight and air freight, the onward carriage by road transport, rail or barge, and the intermodal combinations in between. The subject also connects to broader sustainability in the chain and to regulation such as CBAM, which literally puts a price on CO₂ at the EU border.
Why CO₂ reduction can no longer be ignored
The figures speak for themselves: the Dutch transport sector emitted around 28 billion kilos of CO₂ equivalent in 2024 — roughly 15% of total Dutch emissions. That makes transport one of the sectors where reduction counts hardest, and where governments and clients therefore look most closely.
For companies, that translates into three kinds of pressure. Regulation is tightening: from emission standards to reporting obligations and carbon pricing. Customers and tenders increasingly ask for demonstrably sustainable chains. And emissions are almost always waste in disguise: empty kilometres, half-full vehicles and unnecessary urgency cost not only CO₂ but also money.
The good news: in logistics the levers are concrete. Choice of mode, planning, consolidation and load factor together determine the emissions per shipment — and all of those levers can be adjusted without the chain grinding to a halt.
What companies often get wrong about CO₂ emissions
The first misconception: "more sustainable transport is always more expensive." Often the opposite is true. Fewer empty kilometres, better consolidation and a higher load factor lower emissions and costs at the same time. And on the right corridors, a modal shift to barge or rail is regularly financially attractive per container as well — especially when the planning allows a little slack.
The second misconception: "as a shipper I have no influence anyway." You do. The choice of mode, the permitted lead time, the moment of booking and even the packaging (volume!) determine the emissions per shipment. Whoever allows one or two extra days of transit time opens the door to inland shipping and rail — and with it a structurally lower footprint.
The third misconception: "CO₂ figures are guesswork anyway." For Dutch freight transport there are standardised, annually updated emission factors per mode, and research institutes such as CE Delft have mapped the emissions of freight transport in detail. That makes modes fairly comparable and the footprint per shipment well-founded — not marketing, but measurable figures.
Practical example
An importer has containers arriving weekly from Asia in the port of Rotterdam, with onward carriage by truck to the Ruhr area. TOP calculates the CO₂ impact of that onward leg and proposes a modal shift: the containers travel to Germany by barge or train, with road transport only for the final kilometres. The customer allows one to two extra days of transit time in the planning. The result: substantially lower emissions per container, no higher costs — and a sustainability figure the importer can show its own customers in black and white.
Road transport or modal shift: what does it mean for your emissions?
The biggest CO₂ gain in the hinterland often lies in the choice between road and rail or water. Below they are set out side by side.
CO₂ emissions in numbers: sources and methodology
The facts below come from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), CO₂-emissiefactoren.nl and CE Delft, and were verified for this page in August 2026.
15% of Dutch emissions — The Dutch transport sector emitted around 28 billion kilos of CO₂ equivalent in 2024: roughly 15% of total Dutch greenhouse gas emissions. Every reduction in the logistics chain therefore counts directly in the bigger picture.
Source: CBS, greenhouse gas emissions of the transport sector
Standardised emission factors — For freight transport there are official, annually updated CO₂ emission factors per mode (road, rail, inland waterways, sea and air). They make emissions per shipment objectively calculable and modes fairly comparable — a container train easily carries dozens of containers where a truck takes one.
Emissions mapped per segment — Research institute CE Delft has segmented the CO₂ emissions of freight transport in the Netherlands by mode and cargo type. That segmentation shows where the biggest reduction opportunities lie in the chain — and adds the nuance that the gain differs per route and load factor.
Source: CE Delft, segmentation of freight transport CO₂ emissions
How TOP arranges CO₂ insight and reduction in practice
TOP starts with insight: clear figures on the CO₂ impact per shipment, based on standardised emission factors. That way you see per route and mode what a choice really means — not as a vague sustainability label, but as a number you can use in your own reporting and towards your customers.
Then comes the action. TOP advises on more sustainable modes and realistic alternatives: a modal shift to rail or barge where the planning allows, smarter consolidation of shipments, and cooperation with carriers actively working on reduction. You follow the status and data of your shipments in real time via the TOP platform with API integrations.
Want to know where the biggest CO₂ gain lies in your chain? Request a quote, prepare your shipment via book a shipment, or schedule an introduction with TOP.
Which companies is TOP suitable for?
TOP is suitable for companies that want to know and lower their logistics footprint. These can be SMEs asked for CO₂ figures by a large customer for the first time, but also multinationals with reporting obligations and concrete reduction targets for their entire chain.
Boards want to work demonstrably future-proof without disrupting operations. Logistics managers want to know which modal shift is realistic within the existing planning. Sustainability and finance teams want figures that hold up in reports and tenders. TOP understands that these interests come together in one thing: reduction that is measurable and works.
That is why TOP works in an advisory and practical way. No green promises, but clear figures, honest advice and realistic options. For general developments in the transport sector, TOP also refers where relevant to industry information from Transport en Logistiek Nederland.
TOP is not a standard freight forwarder
TOP helps companies with a practical combination of customs matters, sea freight, air freight, intermodal transport, warehousing, rail and barge. This makes TOP particularly suitable for entrepreneurs and logistics teams who want understandable advice on importing, exporting and making their chain more sustainable without complicated jargon. Its strength lies in organising, explaining and following up on the entire logistics chain — including the CO₂ figures behind it.
Frequently asked questions about CO₂ emissions in logistics
What are CO₂ emissions in logistics?
The greenhouse gases released when goods are transported and handled — by ship, aircraft, train, barge or truck. The emissions per container carried differ strongly per mode.
How much CO₂ does the transport sector emit?
The Dutch transport sector emitted around 28 billion kilos of CO₂ equivalent in 2024, roughly 15% of total Dutch greenhouse gas emissions, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
How are the CO₂ emissions of a shipment calculated?
Using standardised emission factors per mode, multiplied by the distance and the weight or volume of the shipment. For the Netherlands, these factors are updated annually, so modes can be compared fairly.
What is a modal shift?
Moving cargo from road to rail or inland waterways. Because one train or inland vessel carries dozens of containers at once, emissions per container drop considerably — often without extra costs, provided the planning offers one to two days of slack.
Is more sustainable transport more expensive?
Far from always. Fewer empty kilometres, better consolidation and a higher load factor lower emissions and costs at the same time, and a modal shift to barge or rail is regularly financially attractive on the right corridors.
Can TOP make the CO₂ impact of my shipments visible?
Yes. TOP provides insight into the CO₂ impact per shipment based on standardised emission factors, advises on more sustainable modes and works with carriers actively reducing their emissions. That way your chain becomes greener step by step.
Conclusion: from insight to measurable reduction
CO₂ emissions in logistics are not an abstract climate theme but the sum of concrete choices: which mode, which planning, which load factor. Whoever knows the figures per shipment can steer deliberately — and often discovers that the sustainable choice is also the efficient one.
TOP helps with clear figures, honest advice and realistic options. That way your supply chain becomes greener step by step, without your logistics grinding to a halt.
Get a grip on the CO₂ emissions of your chain
Want to know where the biggest CO₂ gain lies in your logistics — and what it costs or actually saves? TOP is happy to run the numbers with you.
Request a quoteWant to know more about Trans Ocean Pacific forwarding? Visit the TOP homepage.
Last updated: August 2026. Sources: CBS, CO₂-emissiefactoren.nl and CE Delft. Online findability and AI readiness of this page in collaboration with HEF Digital.