System Capability for Sustainability Reporting in an Inland Freight Coordination Company
Author
Aaltonen, Laura Karoliina
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-12-05
Abstract
This master’s thesis explores how well a digital transport management system in a Finnish inland freight coordination company can support sustainability reporting in line with the CSRD (the EU’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive). The aim is to understand how relevant sustainability data can be collected and reported, and to develop a way to define a baseline for emissions from so-called empty drives – trips where trucks drive without cargo – as well as how these emissions can be reduced. During the project, the company’s transport management system was examined in detail, focusing both on its technical capabilities and on how it is actually used in daily work. Through autoethnographic observation – the author working in the company while observing practices – the study gained insights into attitudes, work routines, and the concrete use, strengths, and limitations of the platform. The results show that the transport management system can produce emission data that complies with CSRD requirements. A system-based solution was also developed to support circular route planning, where deliveries are combined to avoid empty drives. The thesis presents several practical suggestions for improving how the company uses the system. Overall, the study finds substantial room for improvement in the company’s system utilization. The most important sustainability data for reporting are delivery distances, cargo weight, and fuel consumption of the equipment. This data can already be extracted from the system and formatted into reports. The system can also track circular deliveries, but adjustments are needed in the way data is logged. In general, the system can process much more information than is currently used, and fully exploiting its features would increase its strategic value in the future.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvor godt et digitalt transportsystem i en finsk virksomhed, der koordinerer godstransport på land, kan understøtte bæredygtighedsrapportering i tråd med CSRD (EU’s nye regler for bæredygtighedsrapportering). Formålet er både at forstå, hvordan relevante bæredygtighedsdata kan indsamles og rapporteres, og at finde en metode til at fastlægge et udgangspunkt (baseline) for udledninger fra såkaldte tomkørsler – altså ture, hvor lastbiler kører uden gods – samt hvordan disse kan reduceres. I projektperioden blev virksomhedens transportstyringssystem analyseret grundigt, både med fokus på systemets tekniske muligheder og på, hvordan medarbejderne faktisk bruger det i hverdagen. Gennem autoetnografisk observation – hvor forfatteren arbejdede i virksomheden og samtidigt observerede praksis – blev der opnået indblik i virksomhedens holdninger, arbejdsgange og den konkrete brug af platformens funktioner og begrænsninger. Resultaterne viser, at transportstyringssystemet kan levere emissionsdata, der lever op til CSRD-kravene. Der blev desuden udviklet en systemløsning, der understøtter planlægning af cirkulære ruter, hvor leveringer kobles sammen for at undgå tomkørsler. Specialet præsenterer flere konkrete forslag til, hvordan virksomheden kan udnytte systemet bedre. Arbejdet peger på, at der er betydelig plads til forbedring i virksomhedens måde at bruge systemet på. De vigtigste bæredygtighedsdata til rapportering er transportafstande, godsvægt og brændstofforbrug for materiellet. Disse data kan allerede trækkes ud af systemet og omdannes til rapporter. Systemet kan også registrere cirkulære leveringer, men kræver justeringer i måden, data registreres på. Overordnet kan systemet håndtere langt mere information, end der i dag udnyttes, og hvis virksomheden tager alle funktionerne i brug, vil systemets strategiske værdi stige fremover.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]