Category 9 Downstream Transportation and Distribution
Category description – Category 9 Downstream Transportation and Distribution includes emissions that occur in the reporting year from transportation and distribution of sold products in vehicles and facilities not owned or controlled by the reporting company.
Overview – Category 9 Downstream Transportation and DistributionReporting on Category 9 Downstream Transportation and Distribution involves a comprehensive analysis of the logistical processes and operations involved in transporting goods from production facilities to end consumers. Here’s an executive overview:
In summary, reporting on Category 9 Downstream Transportation and Distribution involves assessing the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of logistics operations while identifying opportunities for improvement and strategic investment to meet evolving market demands and challenges. |
A worked example – EcoFoods Inc.
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This category also includes emissions from retail and storage. Outbound transportation and distribution services that are purchased by the reporting company are excluded from category 9 and included in category 4 (Upstream transportation and distribution) because the reporting company purchases the service. Category 9 includes only emissions from transportation and distribution of products after the point of sale. See table 5.7 in the Scope 3 Standard for guidance in accounting for emissions from transportation and distribution in the value chain.
Emissions from downstream transportation and distribution can arise from transportation/storage of sold products in vehicles/facilities not owned by the reporting company. For example:
- Warehouses and distribution centers
- Retail facilities
- Air transport
- Rail transport
- Road transport
- Marine transport.
In this category, companies may include emissions from customers traveling to and from retail stores, which can be significant for companies that own or operate retail facilities. See chapter 5.6 of the Scope 3 Standard for guidance on the applicability of category 9 to final products and intermediate products sold by the reporting company. A reporting company’s scope 3 emissions from downstream transportation and distribution include the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions of transportation companies, distribution companies, retailers, and (optionally) customers.
If the reporting company sells an intermediate product, the company should report emissions from transportation and distribution of this intermediate product between the point of sale by the reporting company and either (1) the end consumer (if the eventual end use of the intermediate product is known) or (2) business customers (if the eventual end use of the intermediate product is unknown).