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When considering a complete ecological assessment of logistics activities and the development of comprehensive decarbonization strategies, it's important to address not only transportation but the warehousing and transshipment processes as well. In national inventories, the total energy demand of warehousing can equal around one quarter of the transport emissions. The issue of energy-efficient processes at logistics facilities gains importance because of changing regulations and market requirements (e.g. the new European Energy Efficiency Directive which prioritizes the energy demand of buildings). Furthermore, logistics companies tend to realize energetic and/or ecological improvements at logistics facilities and report savings achieved.As opposed to logistics facilities, the ecological assessment of transportation and the derivation of appropriate environmental performance indicators (EPI) are widely standardized (cf. EN 16258). How to assess, monitor and manage greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) at warehouses or terminals are still major research and standardization issues. That is why the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics has defined a comprehensive assessment approach for logistics facilities, calculated specific emission factors and developed a flexible yet detailed allocation scheme for different logistics services (e.g. refrigerated warehousing). This article addresses the developed method and provides an argumentative basis for further standardization. This will be realized by the presentation of a classification scheme for logistics facilities based on ecological aspects and the consideration of attributes of logistics items in the discussion about how GHG emissions of logistics facilities are usually influenced. To illustrate strengths and weaknesses of the method, exemplary implementations at facilities of the research partner, DB Schenker, will be published. Focus will be on the emissions of a cross-docking center, a warehouse and a spare parts depot.The provided assessment method for GHG emissions of logistics facilities and the allocation scheme for EPIs enable logistics companies to monitor and manage the emissions of goods storage and transshipments on a continual basis. Consequently, the method can trigger the development of decarbonization strategies at logistics facilities and foster an organizational or technological improvement process.

The identification of relevant control levers is required for the realisation of logistics services that are efficient in terms of resources and energy. In the “Green Logistics” project, a standardised, comprehensive and usage-related method for the ecological assessment of logistics processes and systems is being developed, i.e., a method that integrates the segments of logistics real estate and business premises, intralogistics and transport. This method will create the necessary transparency. The methodology and instruments to be developed and/or further developed for this purpose will be transferred into a certification system. A system definition was conducted on the applicability of the existing methods and standards in which the relevant gaps were identified that are to be closed through “Green Logistics”. These include the availability of valid data sources and key data. Electricity consumption measurements will be conducted to produce key data for the usage-related apportionment of the electricity consumption at logistics facilities locations.

Today, appropriate measures can already simultaneously reduce costs, improve process sequences and reduce the effects on the environment. With optimisation approaches, for instance in the sectors of network, fleet and container management, tour planning and intermodality, the “Green Logistics” partners demonstrate the practicability and potential of environmentally-friendly logistics services. This paper provides a detailed description of the approaches, “Pollutant emission tracking for transports” and “Resource-efficient logistics real estate”, and an explanation of the respective procedures and initial results. In addition to the development of concrete green products, “Green Logistics” also deduces action recommendations and guidelines that support other logistics industry participants in applying the “Green Logistics” successes to their own business processes.