India’s Freight Boom and the Rising Carbon Challenge
Why Freight Emissions Accounting Is Central to India’s Net-Zero Ambitions
Adapting the GLEC Framework to Indian Realities
From Estimation to Verification: Building Audit-Ready Emissions Data Systems
Diesel Dependence, Heavy-Duty Trucks and the Emissions Burden
Addressing Air Pollution Hotspots: Delhi-NCR and Industrial Corridors
Integrating Emissions Accounting with Logistics Efficiency and Competitiveness
The Role of MRV Systems, India-Specific Emission Factors and Fleet Modernisation
India launches a national framework for freight emissions accounting, adapting the GLEC methodology to drive data-based decarbonisation of its logistics sector.
India’s freight sector, the backbone of its economic growth, is also emerging as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. With freight demand projected to triple by 2050 and road transport contributing nearly half of transport emissions, a new national framework seeks to institutionalise emissions accounting. Developed by Smart Freight Centre India, TERI and IIM-Bangalore, the roadmap adapts global standards to Indian realities—paving the way for climate-smart logistics, cleaner freight corridors, and credible participation in global carbon markets.
As India’s economy accelerates, so does the movement of goods across highways, rail corridors and ports. In FY 2024–25, Indian Railways emerged as the world’s second-largest rail freight carrier, underscoring the scale of the country’s logistics expansion. Yet this growth carries a mounting environmental cost. Road freight—dominated by diesel-powered medium and heavy-duty trucks—accounts for nearly half of total road transport emissions, even though such vehicles represent a small fraction of the fleet. With freight demand expected to triple by 2050, the challenge before policymakers is clear: economic growth must now align with credible, data-driven decarbonisation. A newly released national framework for freight emissions accounting aims to lay that foundation, shifting India’s logistics sector from rough estimates to standardised, internationally aligned emissions measurement and management…
National framework for freight emissions accounting in India: A Roadmap for its Decarbonisation
By Dr Seema Javed
In FY 2024–25, Indian Railways became the world's second-largest rail freight carrier. Freight transport (trucks, rail, ports, ) accounts for a significant and growing share of India’s transport emissions. Making India's freight sector, crucial for economic growth, a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with road transport dominating at 70% of freight movement. Road freight, particularly medium and heavy-duty trucks (comprising ~2% of vehicles), contributes nearly 49% of total road transport sector emissions. With economic growth, urbanisation, and increased e-commerce, freight demand is projected to triple by 2050.
It is very crucial to meet the country’s overall decarbonisation goals. Currently, the sector is heavily reliant on diesel, with fragmented systems and limited visibility into emissions data. India-relevant emissions measurement of freight transport can support decarbonisation.
Smart Freight Centre (SFC) India, in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and IIM-Bangalore, together released a report titled "Institutionalising Freight Emissions Accounting in India: Pathways for Clean Freight Programs and Policy Integration." Which chalks out a roadmap of India-relevant emissions measurement of freight transport and their decarbonisation. It is a blueprint for the decarbonisation of Indian freight emissions.
About the Smart Freight Centre
The Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is a globally recognised non-profit organisation advancing climate action in the freight sector. Its mission is to mobilise the logistics ecosystem—industry, policymakers, and partners—to measure, report, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the global supply chain, in order to transition to zero-emission logistics by 2050, in line with 1.5°C pathways. A key component of this mission is reliable emissions accounting. In 2016, the SFC launched the GLEC framework, the first globally recognised method for calculating logistics emissions.
This report represents a major step toward building a robust emissions measurement and management system. The report standardises how the Indian freight industry calculates its carbon footprint by adapting the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework—the only globally recognized methodology for harmonised freight emissions accounting—to the specific realities of the Indian market.
It lays out a strategic framework to standardise and institutionalise freight emissions accounting—a foundational step to established methodology to move away from rough estimations toward data-backed accounting that can withstand international audits. A practical roadmap for operationalising a to climate-smart logistics in the Freight Program and incorporates local data realities.
“You cannot decarbonise what you cannot measure. The development of standardised methodologies and India-specific emission factors strengthens the technical basis for informed, targeted interventions. Hence, this whitepaper provides India with a practical, institution-ready blueprint to make freight emissions accounting credible, comparable, and actionable at scale,” said Ms Deepali Thakur, Principal – Technical, Smart Freight Centre India.
Mr Sanjay Seth, Senior Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, TERI, said that- “Institutionalising freight emissions accounting in India, aligned with global clean freight programs, can support emissions reduction, provide a credible foundation for effective participation in emerging compliance and carbon-market mechanisms.”
“Going ahead, freight emissions accounting will need to be integrated with other pillars of logistics infrastructure, supporting efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability together,” said Mr Sagar Kadu, Director (Logistics), DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
“Freight transport is a major source of NOx, SOx, PM, and black carbon, with emissions concentrated around logistics hubs and major corridors. Addressing hotspots such as Delhi NCR can create scalable, emissions-led models for other regions facing similar PM and NOx challenges,” said Dr Virinder Sharma, Member (Technical), CAQM.
“Such frameworks enable policymakers to focus on fleet modernisation, cleaner technologies, and zero-emission freight solutions where they are most effective,” said Dr Aditya Gupta, COO, TCI-Supply Chain Sustainability Lab and Supply Chain Management Centre, IIM-Bangalore.
Dr. Seema Javed
(The author is an environmentalist and communication expert)
