Norfolk Southern revamps online carbon calculator

Norfolk Southern has developed a second iteration of its online carbon calculator, which the railroad says will help customers meet their sustainability goals. 

Customers can use the calculator to measure their shipments’ carbon emissions. The calculator uses an algorithm that produces data and variables based on actual metrics. The data sample size used for the online calculator was 7 million shipments, and the data accounts for the entire cycle of fuel usage, including direct fuel consumption from locomotives, yard and local operations, equipment repositioning, and fuel expended while handling containers for intermodal operations, NS (NYSE: NSC) said.

By entering the type of commodity to be transported, shipment weight and frequency, and the origin and destination, users can gather data on estimated and avoided emissions, carbon dollars saved, highway miles avoided, trucks and cars taken off the road, and other carbon equivalents, NS said. 

NS unveiled its first-generation carbon calculator in 2008. The updated  version comes as companies are seeking ways to reduce carbon emissions throughout their operations, including during shipments. Supply chain emissions are 11.4 times higher than operational emissions, NS quoted global not-for-profit charity CDP as saying.