With a sharper focus on tackling climate change, businesses are increasingly recognising the need to reduce their carbon emissions. However, many struggle to navigate the complex landscape of emissions measurement and reduction. That’s where Pledge comes in.

Pledge, a tech company that aims to help businesses achieve net-zero emissions, has just released its free-to-access Freight Emissions Calculator.

Pledge’s founders drew on their experience of creating software products used by millions to create a platform that provides accessibility and transparency for businesses in the fight against climate change.

“Technology has a vital role to play in helping decarbonise the planet,” said David de Picciotto, CEO and Co-Founder of Pledge. “We believe that by combining our collective knowledge and experience with a goal we all feel strongly about, we’re able to create a solution that fosters positive change for the planet.”

Concerned by the climate crisis, Pledge specialises in logistics and supply chain—an industry known for its high emissions. By focusing on this specific sector, Pledge aims to drive meaningful change in the industry and help businesses reach their sustainability goals.

READ: Pledge’s platform now available to Unsworth’s freight management app users

Decarbonising the industry 

The logistics industry currently accounts for approximately 11% of all human-created carbon emissions worldwide, making it one of the largest contributors to global warming. 

  “We’ll need to tackle every high-emitting industry, including the logistics supply chain. The problem with the logistics supply chain is that there has been little progress so far with its decarbonisation,” de Picciotto explained.

Pledge aims to change that narrative by providing effective solutions and empowering businesses to take meaningful action in reducing their carbon footprint. Integrating technology, particularly through Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, plays a pivotal role in combatting climate change in the logistics industry. With high levels of data fragmentation and a lack of standardisation regarding shipment and emissions data, the industry faces significant challenges in measuring and analysing emissions.

“Integrated tech solutions are the most efficient way to help collate shipment data, turn it into emissions data, and provide meaningful insights to enable companies the ability to implement emissions reduction strategies and fight against climate change,” he added.

Calculating emissions 

Pledge’s Freight Emissions Calculator is an open-access tool that enables users to calculate the carbon emissions of their freight shipments. Leveraging the same backend features as Pledge’s comprehensive carbon emissions measurement platform, the calculator provides accurate results and allows users to enter additional information to enhance accuracy. Pledge’s advanced algorithms fill in data gaps using accredited, industry-recognised calculation methodologies, ensuring transparency and reliability in emissions reporting.

“We’ve built it so it’s really easy to use — it actually walks you through the first few steps to get you started. After that, you’re free to add any extra information you have available to increase the accuracy of your results,” de Picciotto said.

Pledge collaborates with various stakeholders in the industry including freight forwarders, technology providers, and industry associations such as BIFA and WCAworld to stay connected to industry experts and meet customer needs.

“Our current customers include several leading freight forwarders such as Zencargo, Ligentia, and Europa Worldwide — the largest privately owned logistics company in the UK. We’re seeing demand for sustainability solutions picking up, and we expect more customers to join our platform in the near future,” he stated.

Verifiable records  

Amid growing concerns about greenwashing, Pledge places transparency at the forefront of its solution. They have developed a feature called Clarity™, which provides visibility into Pledge’s calculation methodologies and results. This ensures a clear, verifiable record of which methods and assumptions were used to reach an emissions calculation, enabling visibility right down the supply chain. Pledge continually refines and enhances the Clarity™ feature as their methods improve, further solidifying trust in their emissions reporting.

“Being clear about how calculations are broken down is critical for any carbon emissions measurement product. In fact, it is one of our most important values — transparency,” de Picciotto highlighted.

Pledge’s Freight Emissions Calculator aims to show the ease and speed with which accredited carbon emissions calculations can be performed. By showcasing the power of the full Pledge platform in a free-to-access setting, users can see how it can offer them the insights they need to set long-term emissions reduction strategies. If they like what they see, they can sign up for a 14-day, no-obligation free trial with the Pledge platform.

READ: WCAworld launches Pledge’s freight emissions calculator on website

Action and pressure 

Pledge witnesses a combination of company-led sustainable initiatives and regulatory pressure driving the industry towards sustainability. Forward-thinking logistics service providers voluntarily seek solutions like Pledge’s Freight Emissions Calculator to align with their sustainability values. Simultaneously, regulatory measures such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in Europe and similar regulations worldwide will require all companies to comply, beginning as early as next year.

“We see a mixture of reasons for why companies are signing up to our platform. On the one hand, we have customers who’ve approached us because they want to offer their customers the chance to measure or offset their emissions to provide a sustainable service. On the other hand, regulations will eventually force every company to comply starting as soon as next year, and we’re seeing companies signing up to our platform to be compliance-ready for that eventuality” he said.

Pledge’s Freight Emissions Calculator has garnered enthusiastic reception from the logistics industry. The calculator’s ease of use and accuracy has attracted a diverse range of customers to Pledge’s platform, including both traditional and digital freight forwarders, as well as software vendors. The growing interest in sustainability solutions within the industry is evident as more businesses sign up for Pledge’s 14-day free trial. With a positive industry response and increasing demand, Pledge expects to onboard more high-profile customers in the near future, further amplifying the impact of its sustainability platform.

“Although it’s early days, it’s encouraging to see interest from so many different freight forwarders and software players in the industry,” he said.