Get emissions estimations for all your registered transport methods

In the logistics industry, managing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is both a challenge and a responsibility, as the global network of shipping and transportation contributes significantly to environmental impact.
Skrym offers a sophisticated emission calculation tool designed to navigate the complexities of logistics emissions, providing businesses with reliable estimates for the carbon footprint of each order.
Skrym's emissions calculation tool leverages advanced optimization algorithms and comprehensive vehicle data to assess the environmental impact of shipping orders.
By accurately modeling delivery scenarios and considering factors such as packaging materials and accurate vehicle data, Skrym delivers granular insights into the carbon emissions associated with logistics operations.
This enables businesses to make informed decisions aimed at reducing their environmental impact and achieving sustainability goals.
How does it work?
Here is a high-level overview of the emissions calculation process:
<MermaidChart
title="Emissions Calculation Process"
subtitle="Calculation and confirmation for Emissions in a pre-payment scenario"
chart={`
sequenceDiagram
autonumber
participant C as Client
participant S as Skrym
activate C
C->>S: Call CalculateEmissionsForAllMethods
activate S
Note over S: Calculates emissions for all registered transport methods
Note over S: Calculates packaging emission for given parcel size
S-->>C: Return emissions breakdown for every configured transport method
deactivate S

Note over C: Order is confirmed
C->>S: Call ConfirmTransportForOrderEmissions
activate S
S-->>C: Confirm and finalize emissions
deactivate S
deactivate C`
}

/>

Calculate Emissions

Learn how to specify how fill materials are set and impact emissions

Skrym can calculate the environmental impact of the fill material used in your packages.
Skrym calculates the environmental impact of fill materials in your packages by assessing the emissions from each specified fill material based on its type and usage proportion. Since Skrym assumes that most of the empty space in your packages is occupied by fill materials,  your packages can help reduce emissions!
Setting fill materials
You can set your fill materials either using Scope or by using the Skrym API.
Please refer to  under the Optional data tab for more information about doing this with Skrym API.
In Scope, setting your fill materials takes mere seconds:


Fill material

Details of the Greedy Algorithm implemented for Order Routing

This page details the approach of the algorithm implemented as in GetRouteV2 in locations/business/rules.go
Function Structure

📝 GetRouteV2 function takes start and end locations, organization locations, and vehicle ranges as inputs.
🌐 Builds route segments iteratively considering vehicle availability, location types, and distance constraints.

Routing Algorithm Overview
1. Initial Terminal Selection

🎯 Identifies the closest terminal to the warehouse and the destination.
🔄 Ensures minimal remaining routing distance, avoiding inefficient paths.
💡 Considers only 'bird distance' for simplicity and efficiency.

2. Vehicle Selection and Routing Simplification

🚚 The function selects suitable vehicles for the journey, focusing on PICK UP and LAST MILE DELIVERY vehicles.
📌 If the origin and destination terminals are the same or nearby, it simplifies the route to one hub.
🚀 It employs minDistanceCutoff (set to 50km) to decide proximity for routing simplification.
🌐 It Considers if vehicles can drive from the closest location to origin or destination.

3. Routing Loop Optimization

🔄 Starts with a currentPointToRouteFrom and prevDistanceToEnd, updating each iteration.
📊 Generates a list of organization vehicles at the start point, considering maximum distance ranges.
🗺️ Maps vehicles to potential end locations, ensuring start location compatibility.
🔍 Focuses on maximizing travel distance within limits for efficiency.

4. Fallback Estimations and Terminal Selection

🔍 If data is insufficient, estimates the closest terminal to the current point, minimizing distance to the end.
🔄 Continues routing by updating the current point and iterating until a valid route is found.
📈 Includes logic to punish transporters by finding the closest terminal when supporting data is lacking.

5. Ending Conditions and Final Route Segmentation

✅ Checks if the end location falls within configured limits for terminal-terminal or terminal-delivery hub distances.
🚧 Has failsafes for direct routing to the closest terminal or delivery hub if data is missing.
🛣️ Constructs the final route by chaining selected route segments.
⚠️ Includes additional failsafes for direct routing and handling missing data scenarios.

A more verbose explanation of the algorithm
All distances within this function are calculated using bird distances, deemed a sufficient approximation:


Initial Terminal Selection

Find the closest terminal to a given warehouse and the closest terminal/delivery hub to the destination.
This reduces the problem to a terminal-terminal routing only, therefore needing fewer conditional branches within the main loop.
It is also ensured that the remaining routing distance is minimized in choosing this so we avoid chasing locations that are in a wrong direction.



Vehicle Calculation and Selection

After getting the closest points to both origin and destination, we obtain vehicles that can go from,

closest location to origin to the origin.
closest location to origin to destination (this is needed in case the destination is quite close to the origin and can be driven to straight from there)
closest location to destination to the destination.


Since it cannot be assumed that an organization's (transporter's) vehicles can be tied to all the warehouses they pickup from/addresses they deliver to, all vehicles that can drive from the closest terminal and have according vehicle usage type of PICK UP or LAST MILE DELIVERY are selected.



Routing Simplification

Once the closest locations to origin and destination are determined, it is checked,

Firstly, if they are the same location, and
Second, if these two locations are close to each other.


For both these cases, it is assumed that the order will only go through the closest hub to the origin and will directly be delivered. The function exits here if any of the cases are satisfied.
A hardcoded value minDistanceCutoff (currently set to 50km) is used to decide if two locations are too close for separate routing



Preparation for Main Routing Loop

Handle all the above steps separately to simplify the main algorithm loop into a terminal-to-terminal routing.
Get the maximum distances between the different checkpoint types (maximum allowed distance between 2 terminals and the maximum allowed distance between a terminal and a delivery hub are currently required).



Main Routing Loop

Start with currentPointToRouteFrom and prevDistanceToEnd(always minimized), which are updated each iteration.
Generate a list of organization vehicles that can drive from this starting point, along with their maximum distance ranges.

The database design allows the same vehicle to have varying maximum distance ranges, all of which are aggregated.
Create a map of all vehicles based on the potential end location IDs they can reach, ensuring they are also capable of departing from the current start location of the segment.


Loop over all valid orgLocationIDs tied to the current transport method, continuing only if it's a terminal.

Choose the furthest possible point within all distance limits (terminal-terminal limits and vehicle range limits), ensuring the distance is positive and prevDistanceToEnd is minimized.


If the criteria are met, obtain a list of all vehicles capable of traveling from currentPointToRouteFrom to the organization's location specified in the loop iteration.
Add this information to the current route segment, which will be overwritten only if a more suitable location is found.
If we have no vehicle range data for the associated organization, we ignore the check of trying to find a vehicle that can drive the entire distance.
If we have some vehicle range data for the associated organization, but none for the current segment, we continue with the next steps of trying to find the closest location.
The closestTerminalToMaxDistance should exist at this point if necessary data about vehicles and maximum distance between terminal are available. It will otherwise be empty.
If this data isn't available; can happen in two cases (if the maxDistanceBetweenTerminals is too strict or if we have no vehicle data to complete this segment)
if the maxDistanceBetweenTerminals is too strict, find the closest terminal to currentPointToRouteFrom, still minimizing prevDistanceToEnd.
If no vehicle data is available, then try to find the furthest terminal away from the current point, but within the maxDistanceBetweenTerminals and minimizing prevDistanceToEnd.
This is then overwritten to the closestTerminalToMaxDistance and added to the current route segment.



Final Checks and Route Completion

Modify prevDistanceToEnd based on the distance from closestTerminalToMaxDistance to the end.
Verify whether the end location falls within the configured limits for terminal-terminal distance or terminal-delivery hub range, and determine if there are suitable vehicles available to cover this distance.
A failsafe exists to terminate the function if we end up routing directly to the final terminal.
Another failsafe (specifically if the end location is a delivery hub) is added to protect against missing data.
This checks if the distance to the end is below the minDistanceCutoff in which case the function is ended. This is because a delivery hub can never be closestTerminalToMaxDistance.
If not exited, overwrite currentPointToRouteFrom with closestTerminalToMaxDistance and continue with another iteration until a valid route is returned.




Route Estimation

Get emissions estimations for all your registered transportation methods

Calculate Total Emissions
To calculate total emissions for all your registered transport methods, you can use the CalculateEmissionsForAllMethods API.


   
      Data Requirements
      Confirming Emissions Results
   
   
      
         ### Data requirements
         To calculate total emissions for all your registered transport methods using the `CalculateEmissionsForAllMethods` API, 
         you need to ensure that you have following data points configured and enabled in 
         
         
            Required data
            Optional data
         
         
            
               In order to calculate emissions for all your registered transport methods, you need to ensure that you have configured and enabled transport methods in 
            
            
               To provide more accurate emissions calculations, you may provide additional data in .  
           ### Optional data
           Data points that can be provided, but are not required, include:

           <Collapsible title="Package">
           You can learn more about package data <Mention label="on the related docs page" href="/data/packages"/>.
           </Collapsible>

           <Collapsible title="Fill Material"> 
           To set the <Mention label="fill materials" href="/emissions/emissions-calculator/fill-material"/> using our API, you can use the `UpdateOrganizationFillMaterials` endpoint.

           <Endpoint path="repo.UpdateOrganizationFillMaterials"/>

           To know which available material ids you can use, you can use the `GetFillMaterials` endpoint.

           <Endpoint path="repo.GetAvailableFillMaterials"/>

           To get what fill materials are set for your organization, you can use the `GetOrganizationFillMaterials` endpoint.

           <Endpoint path="repo.GetOrganizationFillMaterials" /> 

           </Collapsible>

           If these data points are not provided, the API will make use of <Mention label="default values" href="/emissions/emissions-calculator/default-values" />. 
        </TabPanel>
     </TabPanels>
     </TabGroup>
  </TabPanel>
  <TabPanel>
     ### Confirm Emissions Results
     Before Skrym can display emissions statistics in <Mention label="SCOPE" href="https://scope.skrym.se/" />, you need to confirm which transport method was chosen for the order.
     Confirming is done through calling the confirmation endpoint (below) with the `referenceId` from the original calculation.

     <Endpoint path="core.ConfirmTransportForOrderEmissions"/> 

     *Multi-package orders*
     
     - **Option A**: Call the calculation endpoint once with an array of packages and confirm *once*
     - **Option B**: Call the calculation endpoint *once per package* and call the confirmation endpoint for each package's `referenceId`. 
       -  As long as you provide the same `orderReference` in the calls, we will connect the emissions calculations to the same order. 
  </TabPanel>

   


Technical documentation for the CalculatePackagingEmissions function

Function Structure

The CalculatePackagingEmissions function is tasked with calculating the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of the package(s) for a given order.
Input Parameters:

A slice of PackageEmissionsInput, which include a EmissionsObjectInterface which represents either a FixedPackage, HeightAdjustablePackage, FullyAdjustablePAckage, or a Result from the optimization.
A FillRate that is associated with the EmissionsObjectInterface.


Returns:

A slice of PackagingEmissions models for individual package.
An error if the calculation fails.



Detailed Emissions Calculation Process
Fetching Data needed for Calculation

Detailed package data (material data and emissions constants) is fetched using method GetPackage().
Dimensions of the package are fetched using method GetOuterDimensions().
Fill rate of the package is calculated using method GetEstimatedFillRate().

When no optimization has been done, we assume a fill rate for each package type.
When an optimization has been done, we derive the fill rate from the cumulative product volume and the volume of the package.



| Package Type | Default Fill Rate |
| ------------ | ----------------- |
| Fixed        | 0.3596               |
| HeightAdjustable | 0.4779           |
| FullyAdjustable | 0.6350            |
Calculate Package Emissions
The emissions of the package are calculated using the following formula:

`E` = `surfaceArea` * `density` * `C02eq`

| Variable | Unit |
| -------- | ---- |
| E | kg CO2eq |
| surfaceArea | m^2 |
| density | kg/m^2 |
| C02eq | kg CO2eq/kg |
Calculate Fill Material Emissions
Fill material emissions are calculated by weighting the usage of all the different fill materials of an organization by their respective emissions,
and then multiplying the weighted usage by the empty space and a percentage of how much that empty space is filled.

`E` = `emptySpace` * `fillUsage` * `weightedFillMaterialEmissions`),
where `fillUsage` is assumed to a fixed value of `fillUsage = 0.9`.


Packaging Emissions Calculation

Technical documentation for the CalculateVehicleEmissions function

Function Structure 🛠️

The CalculateVehicleEmissions function in locations/business/rules.go is tasked with calculating the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions for transporting packages.
Input Parameters:

routeSegments: Array of RouteSegment defining the path of transport.
vehicles: Array of VehicleModel, indicating possible vehicles used.
fuels: Array of Fuel, representing the types of fuel used by the vehicles.
loadCapacityUtilization: Map correlating RouteSegmentTypes with their load capacity utilizations.
packages: Array of PackageInterface, detailing the packages to be shipped.


Returns:

A slice of ShippingEmissions models for each route segment.
An error if the calculation fails.



Detailed Emissions Calculation Process 🌍📊
Route Segments and Distance Calculation 🛣️📏

The function starts by converting the provided route segments into waypoints.
It then calculates distances between these waypoints using a location service (which internally uses open route service).
In cases of missing detailed location information, it defaults to straight-line distances (this happens within the locations call).

Vehicle Fleet Emissions Assessment 🚚💨

The available vehicles for each route segment are assessed.
The function calculates average emissions factors. It first prioritizes getting the fuelByEmissions and fuelConsumptionRate from the organizationVehicle. It then falls back to the same information from the vehicleModel and associated fuel. It then further falls back (if needed) on to the emissionsByDistance in the vehicleModel.
The obtained emissions factors are converted into emissionsByDistance is needed.
maxVehicleLoad is always obtained from the vehicleModel.
From the list of possible vehicles for the route segment, the function selects those that are applicable to be used for the transportation method that is associated with the current shipment. If none of the vehicles are tagged to be used with this specific transport method, all the possible vehicles are used for the calculation.
If no specific vehicles could be found for the route segment, the transporter's whole fleet is used to calculate the emissions factors, taking the type of route segment (Last mile, line haul etc) and the specific transport method into consideration. If no vehicles are tagged to be used with this specific transport method, the entire fleet is used for the calculation.
If the required emissions factors are still not found, the function falls back to using default constants arrived at from the recommendations by NTM (Network for Transport Measures) for both maxVehicleLoad and emissionsByDistance.

Package Weight and Volumetric Assessment 📦📐

Package dimensions and weights are determined.
Volumetric weight for each package is calculated based on its dimensions.
The greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight is used as the debitable weight.

Emissions Apportionment per Route Segment 🌐🔍

Emissions for each package within each route segment are estimated as per the definition of the CalculateVehicleEmissionsForShipment function and aggregated.
The process is repeated for each segment, and each emission value per segment is aggregated into a single unit of shippingEmissions.
The final output is a comprehensive list of shippingEmissions for the entire route.


Vehicle Emissions Calculation

When vehicle emission information is missing

When calculating emissions, information regarding which vehicles were used and their respective emissions, or which package(s) and their respective characteristics may sometimes be missing.
In these cases, assumptions must be made to provide an accurate estimation. This section will describe these assumptions and the reasoning behind them.

Defaults for Packaging Emissions
From certain points in the supply chain, it can be very difficult to extract reliable package data if the package is not already stored by Skrym.
In order for Skrym to perform an emissions calculation, we need to know which material the package is made of, and its corresponding emissions constants (such as density, emissions factor, and recycled percentage).
In cases where no such information is available for a package, the calculation defaults to using standard values.
Density is determined based on the average material composition of cardboard in the EU, as per FEFCO standards ().
The emissions factor is derived from the average carbon impact reported in the work of Brogaard et al. ().
Package Constants
| Package Parameter | Default Value | Unit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Material | Corrugated cardboard | - |
| Density | 0.503 | kg/ |
| Emissions factor | 0.82 | kg /g |
| Recycled percentage | 0.0 | % |
Fill Rate
Default fill rates are calculated based on historical data from Skrym's database. The fill rate is the ratio of the cumulative volume of the products to the volume of the package.
| Package Type | Default Fill Rate | Unit |
| ------------ | ----------------- | --- |
| Fixed        | 0.3596               | % |
| HeightAdjustable | 0.4779           | % |
| FullyAdjustable | 0.6350            | % |
Fill Material Usage
Fill material usage is a percentage of how much of the empty space in the package is filled with fill material.
| Parameter | Default Value | Unit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fill Material Usage | 0.9 | % |
Defaults for Shipping Emissions
Shipping involves multiple stages: pickup from the warehouse, line haul transportation between terminals, and last mile delivery to the consumer. Each stage consumes energy and emits greenhouse gases through vehicle use.
Skrym collaborates with transporters and logistics companies to obtain precise emissions and energy consumption data. This transparency benefits consumers and regulators. When specific data is unavailable, Skrym uses assumptions or third-party sources (e.g., Transportstyrelsen) to estimate emissions.
Vehicle Data and Load Capacity
Vehicle data includes emissions factors, fuel consumption rates, and maximum load weights, estimated from a range of potential vehicles per shipping stage, which are either provided by the transporters, or the Swedish Transport Agency.
The default values are as follows:

Emissions factor (kg CO2/L)
Fuel consumption (L/100km)
Maximum load weight (kg)

For load capacity utilization, Skrym utilizes data from the non-profit Network for Transport Measures based on the Swedish averages from 2022.
The default values are as follows:
| Transport stage/leg |  Vehicle category |  Load Capacity Utilization |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pickup | Truck with trailer 50-60 t| 50% |
| Line haul | Rigid truck 20-26t | 70% |
| Last mile| Rigid truck 7.5-12t | 50% |
Fuels
When there is no emissions factor available for a vehicle, Skrym defaults to using the emissions factor for the fuel type used.

To derive the emissions factor for a fuel we multiply the GHG intensity [kg CO2e/MJ] () of the fuel by the energy density [MJ/L] ([MJ/kg] for gases) (,  ).

where  is the emissions factor,  is the GHG intensity, and  is the energy density, for fuel .

These are the default values for emissions factors for different fuel types:
| Fuel | Emissions Factor | Unit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Petrol                        | 3.19 | kg CO2e/L |
| Diesel                        | 3.67 | kg CO2e/L |
| Ethanol                       | 0.48 | kg CO2e/L |
| Bio diesel                    | 0.79 | kg CO2e/L |
| HVO                           | 0.43 | kg CO2e/L |
| Bio gas                       | 0.68 | kg CO2e/kg |
| Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)  | 3.71 | kg CO2e/kg |
| Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) | 3.63 | kg CO2e/kg |
| Electricity (Sweden)          | 0.045| kg CO2e/kWh |
| Electricity (EU)              | 0.25 | kg CO2e/kWh |

Default emission values

Load capacity utilization measures the fraction of a vehicle's capacity that is utilized when transporting shipments.
It is a critical factor in calculating the allocation of emissions to a specific shipment.
The values for load capacity utilization is typically represented in percentages which we store as a decimal ranging between 0 and 1, where 1 represents full utilization of the vehicle's capacity.
For load capacity utilization, Skrym utilizes data from the non-profit Network for Transport Measures based on the Swedish averages from 2022.
This ensures our calculations reflect realistic usage patterns. The following table illustrates the default values employed based on various transport stages and vehicle categories,
| Transport stage/leg |  Vehicle category |  Load Capacity Utilization |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pickup | Truck with trailer 50-60 t| 50% |
| Line haul | Rigid truck 20-26t | 70% |
| Last mile| Rigid truck 7.5-12t | 50% |
Configuration
Skrym allows internal users to configure these values per load segment type and per transporter. This capability enables precise and adjustable emission calculations, reflecting the diverse requirements of our transport operations.
📊 Manage Load Capacity Utilization
On , this can be done on the Emissions administration page.
The following endpoints can be used to manage load capacity utilization values:
📈 Get Load Capacity Utilization for All Transporters and All Route Segments

➕ Insert Load Capacity Utilization Values for Different Transporters Per Route Segment

🔍 Get the Latest Load Capacity Utilization Values for a Specific Route Segment for All Transporters
