Carbon emissions are the de facto currency of climate change, yet many companies struggle to quantify carbon emissions, especially in the supply chain.

Our researchers work with industry and stakeholders to develop and implement new methods to track and reduce carbon emissions across the supply chain. Two of our areas of focus, freight transportation and metals & minerals, are detailed below.

Do you have a question about your carbon footprint? Contact us at ctl-sustainability@mit.edu to learn more about how you can get involved.

Freight Transportation

What’s the climate impact of planes, trains, ships and trucks? 

MIT CTL works with companies to implement the GLEC Framework to improve transparency in freight supply chain carbon emissions. Our research helps companies establish a baseline carbon footprint for logistics activities, develop science-based climate targets, and create tangible strategies for tracking and reducing carbon emissions in collaboration with suppliers.

Metals & Minerals

How do we account for the climate impact of metals and minerals?

Metals and minerals are a key part of every day products as well as technology crucial to climate change mitigation – renewable energy technology and electric vehicles. We are building a new carbon accounting framework specific to metals and minerals that will connect end users with minerals producers, increasing transparency on carbon emissions along the supply chain. 

Key Publications

Greene, S. and Lewis, A. Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework for Logistics Emissions Methodologies. Smart Freight Centre. Smart Freight Centre. 2019. link

Natali, P., Greene, S., Toledano, P. How much carbon dioxide is actually in your products? 2019. link

Greene, S. How to Make CO2 a KPI for Freight Transportation. 2019. link

WWF. Transport Science-Based Target Setting Guidance. Greene, S. (Ed.). 2018. link

Greene, S. What are we missing? Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting in the Metals and Minerals Industry. Matériaux & Techniques 105, 503. 2017. link

Greene, S. Black Carbon Methodology for the Logistics Sector. Global Green Freight Project. 2017. link

Greene, S. Logistics Emissions Moves into the Climate Spotlight. Supply Chain Management Review. 2017. link