ECG — 2025-11-20
News from ECG
The automotive supply chain continues to take decisive steps towards decarbonisation with the publication of the second version of the Emissions Calculation and Reporting Guideline, jointly developed by ECG – the Association of European Vehicle Logistics and VDA – the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
The first version of the guideline was published in December 2023, framing the application of ISO 14083 to standardize transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting within the automotive supply chain.
“This means that the FVL companies and OEMs can make significant strides towards a more accurate and standardized transport emission calculation and reporting. It is essential for the FVL sector since it allows comparison between and among different modes of transport and to ultimately make an informed choice on the most carbon efficient solution,” says Frank Schnelle, Executive Director, ECG.
The guideline has been adopted by various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), confirming its value as a standard for GHG emissions calculation and reporting across the Finished Vehicle Logistics (FVL) sector.
“Now it comes to implementation. The consequences of not applying the developed harmonised standard in our sector are quite clear: this simply hinders investments and lowers the advantage of the adoption of greener solutions such as electric trucks. The guideline should be implemented as an industry standard to enable the right investments in the FVL sector,” adds Wolfgang Göbel, ECG President.
The updated guideline comes out of phase two of the emissions project, conducted by the main actors in the FVL. Volkswagen Konzernlogistik and Toyota Motor Europe have implemented the guideline and conducted some tests on a small scale.
Daniel Unterburger, Senior Manager, Strategy & Sustainability, Volkswagen Konzernlogistik: “We are implementing the guideline in areas where we fall within the target group, as the current version is primarily tailored to freight forwarders. Nevertheless, we clearly see the value in continuing this initiative beyond the pilot phase. A logical next step could be a joint project with a supplier already applying the guideline, aimed at developing a reference process for calculating and sharing emissions data. Ideally, this would also include documentation of CO₂ reduction measures – such as certificate numbers or other verifiable evidence – to enhance transparency and traceability.”
Jean Christophe Deville, Vice President of Supply Chain, Toyota Motor Europe:
“The emission guideline is an excellent initiative under the ECG umbrella, and we see from our initial test a slightly different calculation to our estimations. More accurate information might be helpful for legal declarations, and for the management, we need to see trends to understand the decisions to be made for tomorrow.”
Dr. Stefan Doch, ITCL adds that the update includes a data exchange standard:
“We now have a complete set of data exchange documents available that can be used with all customers to implement relevant information efficiently. We have also tried to develop hands-on, step-by-step, compliant processes for everything related to emission projections, agreed reduction measures and reported results.”
“The pilots can be used to kickstart the implementation process in the industry at the OEMs and provide best practices how to do it, and to gather lessons learned what needs to be incorporated.”
Six pilots were conducted with different transport modes, revealing that several OEMs calculated emissions without incorporating accurate transportation network information and operational conditions.
Daniel Unterburger, Volkswagen: “One of the most unexpected yet insightful findings was the significant variation in emission calculation results – ranging from -20% to +60%. These discrepancies were primarily driven by four factors: missing data, differing calculation methodologies, simplified routing assumptions, and varying modelling approaches. This clearly underscores the urgent need for a standardized methodology to ensure consistency and comparability across the industry. We remain committed to supporting initiatives that move us closer to that goal.”
Building on this strong foundation of harmonised emissions calculation, the next step will concentrate on supporting and accelerating investments in greener solutions by providing a tool that ensures transparency and comparability across the sector.
The guideline is available on ECG’s website.
Note to editors: ECG is the established European platform for the outbound automotive logistics sector bringing together logistics service providers, manufacturer logistics managers and suppliers to the sector. ECG aims to facilitate non-commercial collaboration between member companies and assist them in sharing best practices in many operational areas, especially the harmonisation of operational standards.
About ECG
ECG, the Association of European Vehicle Logistics, has been the voice of the Finished Vehicle Logistics industry in Europe since 1997. ECG represents the interests of more than 200 member companies and partners, from family-owned SMEs to multi-nationals, and is the major champion of the European vehicle logistics sector. ECG represents all transport models at EU level- road, rail, maritime and fluvial. ECG members provide transport, distribution, storage, preparation, and post-production services to manufacturers, importers, car rental companies, and vehicle leasing operators in the 27 Member States of the European Union as well as Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and beyond. They own or operate more than 470 car-carrying ships, 14,000 purpose-built railway wagons, 23 river barges, and 26,000 road transporters. As a major employer, the finished vehicle logistics sector plays an important role in contributing to the economic success of the European Union. Today, ECG members have an aggregate turnover of €21.3bn and their economic impact on companies associated with the sector is estimated at €56bn. More than 210,000 Europeans are employed directly by our members.
About VDA
The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) consolidates about 650 manufacturers and suppliers under one roof. The members develop and produce cars and trucks, software, trailers, superstructures, buses, parts and accessories as well as new mobility offers. We represent the interests of the automotive industry and stand for modern, future-oriented multimodal mobility on the way to climate neutrality. The VDA represents the interests of its members in politics, the media, and social groups. We work for electric mobility, climate-neutral drives, the implementation of climate targets, securing raw materials, digitization and networking as well as German engineering. We are committed to a competitive business and innovation location. Our industry ensures prosperity in Germany: More than 780,000 people are directly employed in the German automotive industry. The VDA is the organizer of the largest international mobility platform IAA MOBILITY and of IAA TRANSPORTATION, the world's most important platform for the future of the commercial vehicle industry.