The CO2 information for transport services is a provision derived from the Grenelle de l’environnement to address the ambitious objectives set by the French Government in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Its mandatory application was introduced by an article of the “Grenelle II” law, and integrated into article L1431-3 of the French transport code with the aim of promoting transport that produces the least amounts of CO2 emissions. The article L1431-3 establishes the principle of CO2 information disclosure from transport services, requiring service providers to inform service users (beneficiaries) of their carbon dioxide emissions (freight and passenger) during each transport service. The disclosure requirement affects all transport activities departing from or traveling to a location in France and becomes mandatory on the 1st October 2013.

This device is subject to three regulatory texts which specify the terms and conditions:
•    French Decree no. 2011-1336 of 24 October 2011: specifies the methods for implementing Article L1431-3
•    Order of 10 April 2012 implementing Articles 5, 6 and 8 of French Decree no. 2011-1336 of 24 October 2011: sets out the emission factors for the various energy sources and the default values (level 1 values) that can be used.
•    Order of 10 April 2012 implementing Article 14 of French Decree no. 2011-1336 of 24 October 2011: this order sets 1 October 2013 as the date after which CO2 information becomes mandatory

Who is affected?
CO2 information for transport services applies to;
“any public or private persons organising or selling transport services for passengers, goods or moving purposes, carried out using one or several means of transport, departing from or travelling to a location in France, with the exception of transport services organised by public or private persons for their own behalf” (article 2 of the French decree No. 2011-1336).

For example the following non-exhaustive list:
•    All professionals selling transport services for the behalf of other people, whether carried out by themselves or by partner transport operators.
•    All French and foreign economic stakeholders, whether public or private, organising transport services;
•    Transport service operators (freight or passengers carriers).
•    Local Authorities
•    Transport services under direct management (including free services).
•    When organising school transport services.
•    Transport service organisers (carriers subcontracting transport operations, freight forwarders, and travel agencies.
•    Home moving operations.

Specifications
•    CO2 information disclosure is mandatory, even with regard to free services (for example city bus services provided free-of-charge by local authorities).
•    The service provider must provide the beneficiary with the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted for all upstream and operating phases in kilograms (kg), grams (g) or tonnes (t) of CO2.
•    No threshold exists beneath which an organisation is exempt from disclosing such information.
•    The decree contains a provision aiming at easing the implementation:

  • For service providers with less than 50 employees the default value known as level 1 values can be used for the calculations.
  •  For businesses with more than fifty employees, the level 1 values can be used until the 1st of July 2016. The implementation of this provision shall be subject to an examination.

 

Methodology

CO2 information for transport services Application of Article L. 1431-3 of the French transport code, methodological guide.
This guide was drawn up under the leadership of ADEME (environment and energy Management Agency) and the Medde (French Ministry of ecology, Sustainable development and energy) in consultation with OEET (Observatory for Energy and Environment in Transport). The purpose of this guide is to help the stakeholders concerned to calculate and provide information on the quantity of carbon dioxide emitted during a given transport service. The document specifies;
•    The range and scope of this measure,
•    The principle for calculating the CO2 emissions generated by a given transport service
•    The terms and conditions for transmitting information to the beneficiaries.
•    The solutions for each of the different professions and sectors affected through a set of specific fact sheets.

 

Standard

The CEN standard EN 16258, covering “Methodology for calculation and declaration of energy consumption and GHG emissions of transport services (freight and passengers)”, published in 2012.
The BS EN 16258:2012 establishes a common methodology for the calculation and declaration of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to any transport service (of freight, passengers or both).
It specifies;
•    General principles, definitions, system boundaries, calculation methods, apportionment rules (allocation) and data recommendations to promote standardised, accurate, credible and verifiable declarations.
•    It also includes examples on the application of the principles.

 

Disclosure of Information
The possible methods available for communicating this information are numerous and must be adapted to suit the nature of the profession (transport of passengers or goods) and the relationship with the customer (individual customers for passenger transport, or professional customers or shippers).
The information disclosure requirement can be complied with by means of any document issued or made available to the beneficiary on real or dematerialised media, for example:

•    The transmission of information by email, SMS, via an electronic link or even in some cases verbally is possible.
•    CO2 information can be provided using: a notice on the ticket sales website; a display panel at the point of sale (ticket office) specifying the quantity of CO2 emitted for the different services on offer.
•    Information can also appear on the ticket issued to the customer (assuming that the ticket production system has been adapted to suit this method).
However forwarding the beneficiary to a simple calculation engine is not sufficient to comply with the information disclosure obligation. For more information on Greenhouse Gas Mandatory Reporting contact Sustainability Sure