Pollution Accounting for Corporate Actions: Quantifying the Air Emissions and Impacts of Transportation System Choices Case Study: Food Freight and the Grocery Industry in Los Angeles

Aileen Nowlan, James Fine, Timothy O’Connor and Spencer Burget
Additional contact information
Aileen Nowlan: Environmental Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010, USA
James Fine: Environmental Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010, USA
Timothy O’Connor: Environmental Defense Fund, 257 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010, USA
Spencer Burget: Atlas Public Policy, Washington, DC 20001, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-24

Abstract: Credible corporate commitments to environmental and sustainability outcomes build upon reasonable estimates of corporate impacts and realistic plans to ameliorate those impacts. Although many companies have already begun to account for their goods movement emissions, the vast majority of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures do not. This report creates and critically evaluates two complementary accounting mechanisms for air pollution emissions resulting from local transportation systems—for use in ESG disclosure and impact mitigation planning. These mechanisms are applied to a case study of businesses involved in food freight in Los Angeles: demonstrating the scope of local goods movement impacts on air quality and climate, and paving a path for additional analyses to follow. By quantifying the scope of impact from certain business and supply chain operations, this analysis makes the case for enhanced corporate responsibility by documenting and then reducing transportation system emissions from supply chain and logistics systems.

Keywords: ESG; disclosure; air pollution; heavy-duty trucks; transportation; freight; goods movement; grocery; food freight (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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