The transport activities, associated energy consumption and CO2 emissionsof different supply chains for a range of products were compared in threecountries: Belgium, France and United Kingdom. Among the products considered are furniture and fruits & vegetables. For each of these products, different supply chains, involving more or less transport activity and associated energy consumption are analysed in each country. The comparison highlights some of the main factors that influence GHG emissions for different supply chains and illustrates how they vary according to product and country of final distribution. The origin of the sourcing impact is mainly related to distance. The impact of the logistical organisation between raw material and retail on GHG emissions is linked to the mode and vehicle choiceand to the load factor. As for retail, the consumer trip emissions, between home and the retail outlet, are also an important part of the whole supply chain emissions. It is worthwhile to notice that the goal in this project is to consider the whole supply chain, from production to consumption.Therefore a particular focus is put on the mobility behaviours of consumers purchasing the studied products during their shopping activities related to these products. A web based survey was conducted and the results offer an opportunity for drawing a more detailed picture of the associated CO2emissions. This research is based on a comprehensive review of the various approaches to quantifying the environmental impacts of supply chains together with data collection from a range of organisations including manufacturers, retailers and transport companies. For both types of supply chains, fruit and furniture, two steps dominate by far the other ones in supply chain transport energy use: maritime shipping and the final consumer shopping trip. In the case of maritime transport, the main point is that, despite the high energy efficiency per tonne-kilometre for maritime transport when compared with other modes, the overall travelled distance is huge and therefore the total transport energy requirement is comparatively large incontrast to the requirements for more locally sourced products. Concerning the consumer's trip it is clear that the nature of the assumptions aboutthe trip and the way in which energy allocations are resolved have a major impact. Trip chaining may considerably reduce energy use. A discussion of the potential application of the research approach to the wider debate about the environmental impact of freight transport and the scope for GHG emissions reduction targets to be achieved is included. For the coverign abstract see ITRD E145999
Samenvatting