The logistics section can be used to include any inbound transportation from the finished goods manufacturer to the distribution center as well as any outbound transportation from the distribution center to retail stores (for in-store sales) or from the distribution center to customers (for online sales). Default values are provided and should only be updated if supporting documentation is available. An annual logistics survey can be used to determine average transportation distances/modes and then applied to all of a brand’s product assessments.
The default assumptions for inbound transportation are aligned with the default values from the draft Apparel and Footwear Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR). For both outbound transportation pathways, a default distance of 1000km is applied.
If an actual shipping distance is known, then the amount can be directly entered into the Shipping Distance field. If the distance is not known but the source and destination locations are known, then the distance can be approximated using the “Estimate Distance” function.
To use the “Estimate Distance” function, a source and a destination must both be entered into the appropriate fields. Once the “Estimate Distance” box is checked, the shipping distance field will be updated with the point-to-point distance. While this is still an approximation, it provides a more representative result and is an appropriate approximation for air transportation (the most impactful shipping mode). Given the relatively small contribution of transportation impacts to the overall material footprint, using the default transportation distances will generally not lead to large differences.
The shipping mode can also be customized. There are four different shipping modes available:
- Truck is the default selection and should be chosen when the transportation is primarily done by an on-the-road network (based on distance traveled).
- Ocean should be selected when the inbound transportation distance has been customized and the inbound freight is primarily transported by ocean freight (based on distance traveled).
- Rail should be selected when the inbound transportation distance has been customized and the inbound freight is primarily transported by rail freight (based on distance traveled).
- Air should be selected when the inbound transportation distance has been customized and the inbound freight is primarily transported by air freight (based on distance traveled).