After you sell a product, someone still moves it, stores it and puts it on a shop shelf. If your company does not pay for this, the emissions belong to Scope 3 category 9. The data is harder to get than for category 4, because it sits with your customers, not with your suppliers.
- Scope 3 category 9, downstream transportation and distribution: emissions from transport, storage and retail of your products after sale, in assets you do not own.
- Not paid transport: transport of sold products that your company pays for goes to category 4.
- Methods: fuel-based, distance-based and spend-based.
- Reduction: shorten the distances after sale and use modes of transport with lower emissions.
What does category 9 include?
Category 9 covers emissions from the transport and distribution of sold products in vehicles that the reporting company does not own or operate. It also covers emissions from retail and from storage of the products by third parties. This category includes only transport and distribution after the sale.
The main sources of emissions in this category are:
- outside warehouses and distribution centres;
- retail stores;
- outside air, rail, road or sea transport;
- customers' trips to and from retail stores, if they are significant for a company that owns or runs the stores.
For which companies does category 9 matter?
This category matters most for companies in a retail supply chain.
Calculation methods
You can calculate category 9 emissions with three methods:
- Fuel-based method: you find the amount of fuel used, that is, the Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of the transport providers. Then you apply the emission factor for each fuel.
- Distance-based method: you find the mass, the distance and the mode of transport of each shipment. Then you apply the emission factor for the vehicle used.
- Spend-based method: you find how much money was spent on each type of transport and apply the right emission factors.
Where do you find the data for this category?
The data for this category is in databases that give average transport distances for the main goods in the economy.
What are the main challenges in category 9?
The main difference between category 4 (upstream transport) and category 9 (downstream transport) is the availability and quality of data.
Transport data may be easier to get from your suppliers than from your customers. So the reporting company may need more general methods for downstream transport, such as the distance-based method. From 2 December 2030, carriers that give their customers the emissions of specific transport services will calculate them with one method from Regulation (EU) 2026/1030. This will make such data easier to compare.
If you do not know the real transport distances, you can estimate them with:
- government, academic or industry publications;
- online maps and calculators;
- published distances between ports.
How to reduce emissions in Scope 3 category 9?
These steps help you cut emissions after sale:
- Think about how to shorten distances in the later stages of the supply chain.
- Try to use modes of transport with lower emissions.
Are you calculating transport emissions in Scope 3? See our transport carbon footprint service under ISO 14083. We calculate the emissions of your transport on a well-to-wheel basis, for all modes, ready for Scope 3, the CSRD and your customers' requirements.
