IDEA is implementing "Saving CO2" to commit its customers to greener logistics
With the ambition of supporting its customers in their environmental transition, IDEA has designed a tailored solution, Saving CO2, which simulates and measures the carbon impact across its entire scope of activity : logistics, packaging and transport. By integrating this solution into its commercial offering, IDEA is offering decarbonised alternatives that it can deployed operationally.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach, IDEA is commited to energy transition, particularly by seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of its logistics services. The group aims to involve its customers in this more sustainable direction, enabling them to choose logistics solutions that are less energy-intensive but equally economically effective. Saving CO2 fully aligns with this approach, as it enables IDEA to measure the carbon footprint of its logistics activities with lower carbon impact.
Saving CO2, a differentiating solution for lower carbon impact
Saving CO2 is a 100% internal innovation developed in-house by IDEA. It comes in the form of a stimulation and tracking interface designed with a simple and user-friendly layout, easily navigable by all of IDEA's engineering teams. This tools enables the analysis of six major energy expenditure areas :
• Energy consumption of IDEA infrastructures and buildings
• Handling machinery and fuels
• Employee commuting
• Distance travelled in transportation
• Raw material inputs
• Waste outputs
From the formulation of commercial offers and within the framework of continuous improvement, Saving CO2 will be used to achieve three specific objectives :
• Identifiy the most signifiant emission sources for each customer
• Simulate the impact of alternative solutions to propose to customers
• Measure progress year-on-year to continue improvement efforts
A solution designed from ADEME data
IDEA relied on ADEME's Empreinte® Database, which serves as reference basis for carbon accounting in organisations, environmental labelling, and product and service eco-design. Saving CO2 was developed based on this methodology. The energy expenditure indicators and major areas have been defined in line with IDEA's business activities and within the frmework of the ADEME Call for Projects "Logistics 4.0", of which IDEA has been a laureate since April 2023.C’est à partir de cette méthodologie que Saving CO2 a été conçue. Les indicateurs et postes majeurs de dépenses en énergie ont été définis en cohérence avec les métiers d’IDEA et dans le cadre de l’Appel à Projet ADEME « Logistique 4.0* » dont IDEA est lauréat depuis avril 2023.
« After conducting surveys and analyses with our customers, Logistics Managers and Purchasing Manager, we are proud to have developed an effective solution entirely in-house, that performs well from the customer's perspective and from IDEA's perspective, where CSR strategy is true corporate project » explains Bruno Mahéo, Key Account Manager at IDEA. « Through this solution, we aim to foster a truly dynamic commercial relationship with our customers. We invite them to engage with us in a win-win approach and to make the most efficient choice, combining cost, lead time and CO2 impact criteria. »
The constant updating of Saving CO2 ensures its effectiveness
Thanks to this innovative solution, IDEA not only considers the carbon impact of transport but also goes further by measuring energy consumption of infrastructures, staff commutes, and input and output management.
Regarding deployment, the schedule is planned as follows :
• By the end of 2023 : collection and integration of numerical data from all IDEA sites and current ongoing services.
• Early 2024 : deployment of the tool for carbon impact assessment in new commercial offers.
• Throughout 2024 : continuous enhancement of the tool to refine alternative solutions to propose to customers.
Ongoing enhancing of the tool will accurately define new options to offer customers : such as using biogas trucks for short trips, recommending telecommuting or carpooling to potimise communting, for example. Each year, IDEA will offer its customers an updated carbon assessment of the services provided to quantify the gains already achieved and consider new possible optimisations.
For IDEA, the CSR approach dates back to the 2000s and is now an integral part of the group's 2025 strategic plan, which includes ambitious objectives : a 25% reduction in carbon footprint, five-year investment projects totalling €100 million, with the one-third earmarketed for energy transition. Furethermore, IDEA's 2040 vision in low-carbon world is that of a sustainable logistics company that has successfully reduced its dependence on fossil fuels. Investment choices in new engines, innovations optimising consumption, renewable energy production, positive influence of stakeholders, and diversification serve this ambition..
Photo credit : Oioo Studio
