Citation:
Parsons DJ, Chatterton J, Bernon M, Palmer A, Carbon brainprint case study: improved delivery vehicle logistics, Cranfield University, 2011.
Abstract:
Road transport accounts for about 20% of the total GHG emissions of the UK, and
HGVs andLGVs are responsible for about one-third of these. The total direct GHG
emissions from HGVsand LGVs in 2008 were about 40 Mt CO2e.
Dr Andrew Palmer, a Cranfield University visiting fellow and former PhD student
contributed tothe transport recommendations for the food distribution industry
following publication of TheFood Industry Sustainability Strategy. These
recommendations were taken up by IGD as part ofthe Efficient Consumer Response
(ECR - UK) initiative and implemented with 40 leading UKbrands. They reported
that this initiative had taken off 124 million road miles (equivalent to
60million litres of diesel fuel) from UK roads over three years (2007-2009) and
163 million roadmiles up to 2010, with a target of 200 million road miles by the
end of 2011.
The quoted reduction in vehicle use up to 2010 is equivalent to 250 kt CO2e, but
this cannot allbe attributed to Cranfield University's carbon brainprint,
because Dr Palmer was only one of theauthors of the report and he was not an
employee of the university at the time. We estimate theattributable brainprint
to be 56 kt CO2e with a 95% confidence range of 32-87. Assuming that this is
maintained until 2020, and assuming a 1%/year increase in efficiency independent
of thiswork, which will reduce the future brainprint, gives an estimate of 187
kt CO2e (102-295) for theperiod 2007-2020.
