Freight transport is where many companies’ Scope 3 ambitions meet operational reality. Recent high quality studies move the conversation from pledges to practical actions. Here is what is new, what works, and how to apply it without slowing your business.

Top research insight

Electrifying trucks is necessary, but not sufficient. A 2025 Nature Communications analysis using 1.2 billion heavy truck GPS points in Shenzhen shows that pairing vehicle electrification with network fixes such as congestion relief and better connectivity cut peak road freight CO2 by 34 percent and NOx by 43 percent versus electrification alone. The practical reading is simple: combine cleaner trucks with smarter routing and infrastructure. [1]

Where the system is moving now

• Large shippers are acting on zero exhaust trucks and rail. Amazon announced the UK’s largest order of electric HGVs and is expanding rail legs on key corridors, signalling how big fleets plan to decarbonise while keeping service. [8]
• Poor mode choice has a cost. Inditex disclosed higher transport emissions linked to increased air freight, a clear example of how speed driven decisions can raise Scope 3. [7]

Two numbers to track

• Emissions intensity per tonne kilometre tells you what is carbon heavy by nature. In Europe, air is highest, then road, then diesel rail and inland waterways, with ocean shipping and electric rail lowest on a well to wheel basis. Use this to guide modal shift decisions. [2]
• Absolute emissions by mode tells you what dominates your footprint. Globally, road carries most of freight CO2 because we use it the most. Target the big wins first. [4]

Five evidence based strategies that work

1. Shift a targeted share from road to rail or water
   You do not need a full switch to see gains. Multiple assessments show rail freight CO2 per tonne kilometre can be roughly 70 to 80 percent lower than trucking, depending on context and power mix. Start with heavy, regular lanes that align with rail schedules or short sea services. [2][3]
2. Pair fleet transition with network design
   When you roll out battery electric or hydrogen trucks, also remove bottlenecks, cut dwell, and route via charging hubs. In dense networks, combining these measures with electrification cut peak road freight CO2 by 34 percent and NOx by 43 percent versus vehicles alone. [1]
3. Use data to avoid empty trips and half full vehicles
   Plan return loads so trucks do not drive back empty (backhaul matching), combine shipments headed the same way (dynamic consolidation), and allow slightly wider pickup or delivery windows so vehicles leave fuller. Prioritise corridors where your data shows low average load factors or many empty returns. Use recognised accounting so improvements show up in your numbers. [6]
4. Right size the fuel and powertrain mix by corridor
   Short and medium regional legs are early candidates for battery electric. Hard to electrify long haul today can be bridged with lower carbon rail or water segments while you prepare charging and grid capacity. Treat alternative fuels as transitional where they deliver verified well to wheel savings. [5]
5. Change the service promise where it is rational
   Lead time flexibility is an emissions lever. Use an internal carbon price and a formal sign off step for air so emergency uplift is the exception. The Inditex example shows how more air can lift Scope 3. [7]

The data you actually need to start

• Shipment ID, weight, origin, destination, actual distance, and mode for every leg
• Carrier reported energy or fuel type and load factor where available
• Emission factors on a well to wheel basis using recognised frameworks such as GLEC and ISO 14083
• A standard template for carriers and 3PLs and a simple corridor dashboard. In the UK, Logistics UK offers an emissions reporting service to help members standardise CO2 accounting and reduce supplier friction. [6][9]

Bottom line

Treat vehicles, infrastructure, and operations as one design problem. The strongest recent studies show that integration multiplies the returns of any single measure. If you make targeted modal shifts, improve network flow, and adopt zero exhaust vehicles where they fit, you can cut freight transport emissions at meaningful scale while protecting service and cost. [1]

Sources

[1] Zhao, P. et al. 2025. Reducing road-freight emissions through integrated strategies. Nature Communications.
[2] European Environment Agency (updated 2024). Greenhouse gas emission efficiency of freight modes (gCO2e per tonne-km, well to wheel).
[3] IPCC AR6 WGIII (2022), Chapter 10: Transport.
[4] Our World in Data. CO2 emissions from transport - modal shares.
[5] ICCT (2025). Charging infrastructure needs for battery-electric trucks in Europe.
[6] Smart Freight Centre (2023). GLEC Framework v3 - ISO 14083 aligned.
[7] Reuters (14 Mar 2025). Inditex transport emissions rose in 2024 due to increased air freight.
[8] About Amazon UK (14 Jan 2025). UK’s largest electric HGV order and expansion of rail legs.
[9] Logistics UK (15 Apr 2025). Emissions Reporting for Transport service.