What is the major cause of carbon footprint in logistics and how can businesses reduce it?

The primary driver of carbon footprint in logistics is the burning of fossil fuels by delivery vehicles, compounded by inefficient routing, underloaded fleets, and rising e-commerce demand. As home delivery volumes grow, so do greenhouse gas emissions across the entire supply chain.Decarbonizing logistics requires a combination of operational and technological levers. Among the most impactful carbon reduction strategies are:Route optimization is a key strategy to reduce total travel distance, limit the number of vehicles on the road, and cut fuel consumption per deliveryDemand-driven supply chain planning to scale operations without excess fleet usageDynamic delivery time slots to consolidate stops and avoid unnecessary tripsAdoption of integrated logistics solutions that support carbon neutrality goals across urban and rural distribution networksBy embedding these practices into daily operations, companies can measurably reduce emissions while maintaining service levels and cost efficiency.Discover how DELMIA supports the future of sustainable operations →

How can carbon emissions from transportation affect climate change?

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Delivery vehicles, freight logistics, and last-mile services release significant volumes of CO2 into the atmosphere, primarily from burning fossil fuels, accelerating global warming and intensifying its environmental impact on ecosystems, biodiversity, and urban air quality.The scale of this challenge is growing. The rise of e-commerce and home delivery has dramatically increased fleet activity, putting pressure on companies to act not only for environmental reasons, but to meet an increasingly stringent regulatory landscape. Frameworks such as the EU Taxonomy, ISO 14067, and WBCSD Net Zero Initiative guidelines are setting clear expectations: businesses must measure, report, and reduce their transport-related emissions.Meeting these regulatory requirements demands more than incremental improvements. Companies need systemic change, rethinking supply chain design, optimizing delivery routes, consolidating shipments, and transitioning toward lower-emission fleets to credibly align with climate commitments and avoid compliance risk.Explore how circular supply chains can drive sustainable, resilient operations →

How can businesses strengthen their downstream supply chain resiliency?

Downstream supply chain resiliency depends on a company's ability to anticipate disruption, adapt operations in real time, and maintain service continuity, all while managing cost and sustainability commitments.Several capabilities are critical to building this resilience:Real-time information - visibility across inventory, logistics, and demand signals allows teams to detect and respond to disruptions before they escalate into costly failuresCollaborative simulation - modeling disruption scenarios across suppliers, distributors, and logistics partners enables smarter, faster decisions without relying on reactive firefightingData integration across the supply chain - breaking down siloes between planning, procurement, and fulfillment creates a single source of truth that improves operational efficiency at every nodeManaging supply chain risk proactively - identifying vulnerabilities in sourcing, transportation, and distribution before they materialize reduces exposure to both operational and financial lossFor high-tech supply chains in particular, where component dependencies and lead times are complex, resilience is not optional. Rapidly shifting consumer expectations around delivery speed, product availability, and sustainable sourcing add further pressure to perform consistently under uncertainty.Companies that embed resilience into their supply chain design rather than treating it as a crisis response — are better positioned to protect margins, meet compliance requirements, and sustain long-term growth.Understand and manage supply chain risk with Dassault Systèmes →Discover supply chain resilience solutions for high-tech industries →

How can businesses optimize supply chains through simulation and virtual twins?

As supply chains grow more complex and climate pressures intensify, businesses need more than historical data and static planning models to stay competitive. Simulation and virtual twins are emerging as foundational technologies to design, test, and continuously improve supply chain performance before costly decisions are made in the real world.A virtual twin for manufacturing industries creates a living digital replica of physical operations — from distribution networks and warehouses to last-mile delivery flows. By mirroring real-world conditions in a controlled environment, companies can simulate thousands of scenarios, stress-test their supply chain against disruptions, and identify optimization opportunities without operational risk.This capability directly supports supply chain planning and optimization by enabling demand-driven decisions grounded in predictive modeling rather than assumption. Teams can evaluate routing configurations, inventory allocation strategies, and fleet utilization in real time, reducing waste, lowering costs, and building a credible path toward carbon neutral logistics.Looking further ahead, the future of supply chain management lies in continuous simulation, systems that learn from live operational data, adapt to shifting demand, and proactively surface recommendations to planners. This transforms supply chain management from a reactive discipline into a strategic, intelligence-driven advantage.

Reducing Carbon Footprint in Logistics

How One Industry Leader Is Mitigating Grocery Delivery Emissions

When a major grocery retailer wanted to reduce its delivery vehicles’ mileage and fuel consumption, Dassault Systèmes provided route planning and logistics solutions to make it happen.

E-commerce Carbon Footprint and Rising Delivery Emissions

Spurred by the development of e-commerce and changes in consumer habits, home delivery has soared in recent years—as well as the carbon emissions that result from it.

Companies that offer delivery services must find competitive ways to meet customer demands for more convenience while reducing their environmental impact.

By embracing the shift to online grocery shopping and home delivery, one of our customers experienced exponential growth in a short timeframe.

Supply Chain Carbon Emissions in Grocery Delivery

With over 700 stores in two countries, this supermarket chain had to optimize its resources and operations to provide speedy, cost-effective, and sustainable deliveries.

By improving its delivery planning and logistics, the company was able to reduce its fleet’s travel distances, operational costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Discover how Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA Quintiq solutions supported this grocery retailer on its journey to minimize the carbon footprint of its home delivery system.

About the Customer

Use case: Deployment of DELMIA Quintiq on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform to optimize planning and logistics of grocery delivery in urban and rural areas to reduce mileage, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Industry

Grocery retail.

Company size

100,000 employees.

Location

Strong presence in Western Europe.

The Challenge

The customer’s key challenges stemmed directly from its

Business needs

Scale up a home delivery service to transport products from 18 distribution hubs to urban and rural areas.
Reduce mileage, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Operational requirements

Must make optimal and cost-effective use of vehicles to lower greenhouse gas emissions from delivery while meeting customer demands for convenience.

The Solution

Dassault Systèmes’ approach addressed a crucial part of the process to achieve this objective:

Software used during the sales and logistics phase.
Primary benefits observed during the sales and logistics phase.

The Outcome

By using DELMIA Quintiq’s integrated solutions, the supermarket chain maximized its delivery capacity by configuring its vehicles to a high level of detail, from loading dock allocation to multi-compartment configuration and temperature management.

The company improved its logistics network across its supply chain to optimize different routes, from suppliers to distribution centers, stores and home deliveries.

Route planning and stops were carefully studied to reduce the number of vehicles on the road and the distance traveled per day, resulting in lower fuel consumption and gas emissions.

The grocery retailer was able to scale its operations up and down according to demand and achieve its strategic goal of providing customer-centric services. It also introduced dynamic time slot deliveries, increasing convenience for its customers without compromising sustainability or cost-effectiveness.

The End Result

528km
Travel distance avoided by delivery vehicles per day
7.6tCO2e
Avoided emissions² per day
CO2
- Lower fuel consumption
- Fewer vehicles on the road

We’ve found the right technology partner to help us plan and control our supply chain. Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA Quintiq provides us with integrated supply chain management, an approach that is demand-driven and optimized based on our business goals and constraints.
Supply Chain Director

Methods

The avoided emission estimation was estimated following the:

EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044, and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines.
Methodology based on the comparison of two scenarios for one given functional unit (ISO 14067:2018 and ISO 14064-2:2019).
3DS methodology has been certified by an independent third party and elaborated in compliance with the EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044, and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The end result expressed in tCO2e remains an estimation.

Measuring the Sustainability Benefits of Our Solutions

Discover how we accurately quantify the sustainability benefits of our solutions for customers, using a certified methodology. Through real-world use cases, see how we support organizations in their sustainability transition, delivering tangible, measurable results.

Learn more

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

¹Each of these case studies is a past or current project for which emissions avoided or reduced have been estimated following EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044, and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The 3DS approach and these calculations, along with the allocated contribution of the software, have been certified by an independent third party. External View URD 2023, Chapter 2.

²Each of these case studies is a past or current project for which emissions avoided or reduced have been estimated following EU Taxonomy (Regulation Guideline), ISO 14067, 11044, and Guidance of WBCSD Net Zero Initiative Guidelines. The 3DS approach and these calculations, along with the allocated contribution of the software, have been certified by an independent third party. External View URD 2023, Chapter 2.

Reducing Carbon Footprint in Logistics From Store to Fridge