References: Embodied Carbon Footprint of Intralogistics Systems

Manufacturers are increasingly being asked by their customers about the environmental impacts of the products they purchase. An example are the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production, assembly, and commissioning of intralogistics systems, also referred to as upstream Scope 3 emissions. Fraunhofer IML supports the technology company TGW Logistics in a joint study to quantitatively assess its product portfolio at the level of products, product groups, and individual systems.

The Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of an intralogistics system quantifies the total amount of GHG emissions that the system and its installed modules generate over their entire lifecycle. The lifecycle of the system begins with the procurement of raw materials and encompasses the manufacturing of components, assembly and commissioning, actual use (e.g., as a highly automated warehouse or distribution center), potential retrofitting, disassembly, and finally recycling or end-of-life for the system and its components and materials.

When calculating an embodied carbon footprint, the focus is on the GHG emissions that are caused during the manufacturing phase up to and including the commissioning of the system. This means that all upstream GHG emissions from the perspective of the system operator are included.

Due to the diversity of intralogistics modules and system configurations, TGW Logistics has defined a representative product portfolio at the beginning of the joint PCF study. This enables the intralogistics specialist to represent a variety of customer projects in the future and respond to potential external inquiries. At the same time, we keep the effort for data collection and evaluation within feasible limits.

For the selected product portfolio, meaningful design parameters are chosen at the product level. In addition, corresponding bills of materials are defined for a base unit of the respective product (e.g., x meters of conveyor, one storage and retrieval system (ASRS), or x storing spaces). 

For simplification, this bill of materials can be evaluated based on materials, i.e., a list [JH1] of the quantities of individual metal types, plastic types, electrical components, etc., is prepared. Using licensed, internationally recognized life cycle assessment databases such as ecoinvent® and GaBi® as well as the accounting software Umberto®, we model upstream supply chains, (pre-) assembly steps, and the associated GHG emissions. If relevant consumption cannot be measured specifically for the product, which is often the case according to our experience, sensible and reproducible allocation keys for assigning site consumption (e.g., electricity) at the product level are jointly determined. In the case of complex intralogistics systems, the system is pre-assembled in its individual parts, transported to the actual site, and then assembled and put into operation. The GHG emissions associated with these assembly and commissioning steps are also considered in the modeling.

In the joint PCF study, not only is a representative intralogistics system modeled, but rather an approach is developed that allows the scaling of relevant sizes and configurations of different planned or already existing intralogistics systems through basic modules, enabling the calculation of GHG emissions at the system level. As a result, TGW Logistics will receive a specific calculator that allows the technology company to scale intralogistics systems from planned and realized customer projects using simplified input data, assign them to a location, and calculate the embodied carbon footprint. Future extensions, updates, or detailing of the carbon footprint model and calculator are also considered, so that new products can be integrated into the portfolio, updates of the underlying databases can be taken into account, and potential product developments (e.g., alternative materials, suppliers) can be represented.

For simplification, this bill of materials can be evaluated based on materials, i.e., a list of the quantities of individual metal types, plastic types, electrical components, etc., is prepared. Using licensed, internationally recognized life cycle assessment databases such as ecoinvent® and GaBi® as well as the accounting software Umberto®, we model upstream supply chains, (pre-) assembly steps, and the associated GHG emissions. If relevant consumption cannot be measured specifically for the product, which is often the case according to our experience, sensible and reproducible allocation keys for assigning site consumption (e.g., electricity) at the product level are jointly determined. In the case of complex intralogistics systems, the system is pre-assembled in its individual parts, transported to the actual site, and then assembled and put into operation. The GHG emissions associated with these assembly and commissioning steps are also considered in the modeling.

In the joint PCF study, not only is a representative intralogistics system modeled, but rather an approach is developed that allows the scaling of relevant sizes and configurations of different planned or already existing intralogistics systems through basic modules, enabling the calculation of GHG emissions at the system level. As a result, TGW Logistics will receive a specific calculator that allows the technology company to scale intralogistics systems from planned and realized customer projects using simplified input data, assign them to a location, and calculate the embodied carbon footprint. Future extensions, updates, or detailing of the carbon footprint model and calculator are also considered, so that new products can be integrated into the portfolio, updates of the underlying databases can be taken into account, and potential product developments (e.g., alternative materials, suppliers) can be represented.