July 24, 2008 - Six out of ten supply chain executives are now tracking their climate emissions from transportation and logistics activities, according to a new survey of 500 North American companies.

The study, conducted by eyefortransport, asked respondents what green initiatives have been implemented or planned in their companies. Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72%) say working to improve energy efficiency, 60% are measuring their emissions, and 37% are redesigning warehousing and distribution center networks to operate more efficienty.

While over half of respondents report measuring emissions as a company initiative, a surprisingly large number (16%) are taking it upon themselves to develop their own techniques for tracking their CO2.

"We were surprised by the high percentage of companies developing unique, internal systems for measuring the supply chain carbon footprint," says eyefortransport's Katharine O’Reilly, senior VP of environmental research. "With the diversity of off-the-shelf technologies recently introduced, we expected more adoption of some of the best-of-breed solutions. What we're finding instead are homegrown solutions."

It's unclear, however, whether tracking emissions actually translates to greener supply chains. Many supply chain managers say they are having trouble establishing potential return on investment for green supply chain initiatives.