Introducing the CO2Path knowledge base — plain-language guides to freight emissions standards
Introducing the CO2Path knowledge base
ISO 14083 has been in force since 2023. The GLEC Framework has been the operational reference for freight emissions calculation for longer. Scope 3 Category 4 is already a mandatory disclosure under CSRD for large EU companies. And yet the terminology alone remains a barrier for many of the professionals now responsible for implementing these requirements.
That gap is not a knowledge problem. The standards are publicly available. The methodology guidance exists. The issue is that most of the material written about freight emissions standards assumes prior familiarity — with regulatory frameworks, with calculation logic, with the relationships between ISO 14083, GLEC, CSRD, and the broader EU carbon data architecture.
We built the CO2Path knowledge base to close that gap.
What the knowledge base is
The knowledge base is a free collection of plain-language guides covering the standards, methodologies, and regulatory frameworks that underpin logistics emissions accounting. Each article is written for sustainability managers and logistics professionals who need to understand these topics to do their work — not for specialists who already do.
The articles do not assume prior knowledge of emissions accounting. They explain terminology, describe how standards relate to each other, and connect regulatory requirements to practical implications.
What is available now
Five articles are live at the knowledge base:
ISO 14083 — The International Standard for Freight Emissions
What the standard covers, what it requires, and why it matters for companies calculating and reporting freight emissions. Covers the system boundary, allocation rules, and data quality requirements that define a compliant calculation.
The GLEC Framework — Practical Implementation of ISO 14083
How the GLEC Framework operates alongside ISO 14083 — providing the emission factor databases, mode-specific datasets, and data quality tier system that make the standard operational. Explains the relationship between the two and why both are needed.
Scope 1, 2, and 3 Emissions in Logistics and Freight
A plain-language explanation of the three scope categories and how they apply to logistics operations. Covers which emission categories are material for carriers and shippers, and what CSRD requires for each.
How Logistics Emissions Are Calculated — A Plain-Language Guide
A step-by-step explanation of freight emissions calculation: transport activity, emission factors, allocation logic, and system boundary. Written for readers encountering these concepts for the first time.
CBAM and Logistics Emissions — What the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Means for Freight
How the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism intersects with logistics emissions accounting, and what import-heavy companies need to understand about the carbon content of their supply chains.
The knowledge base also includes a glossary covering the key terms used across all articles.
What is coming
Starting in July, we will publish one new article each week on the CO2Path blog. The series covers twelve topics across the full scope of logistics emissions accounting: regulatory compliance, calculation methodology, data quality, digital trust infrastructure, shipment-level visibility, and the emerging connection between freight emissions and product carbon footprints.
Each article goes deeper than the knowledge base guides — addressing the practical implications, the common errors, and the decisions that logistics operators and sustainability managers face in implementing these standards.
The knowledge base and the article series are designed to work together. The knowledge base provides the foundations; the articles build on them.
Visit the knowledge base at the knowledge base