Measuring the environmental impact of their supply chain has become an increasingly important issue for many companies. Towards this end, the CMA CGM Group will be making available to customers a new service starting in April 2011— the eco-calculator, according to Exim News Service.

Accessible to all the Group’s customers as part of the online solutions offered by CMA CGM via e-business, this latest tool produces an accurate calculation of the carbon footprint of a journey, based on real data, including points of departure and arrival, volume of freight, fuel consumption and vessel speed.

Developed according to the methodology of an international body, the Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG), this eco-calculator will be the first to be verified by Bureau Veritas.

"Our new tool is extremely reliable and means we can now supply customers with very accurate data about their carbon footprint. We hope this eco-calculator will prove a useful tool in the decision making process and will help customers to determine the optimal mode of transport from an ecological point of view," explains Mr Philippe Borel, Environment Director for the CMA CGM Group.

Reducing its environmental impact has been for long one of the key objectives of the CMA CGM Group, the world's third-largest container shipping group. Combating climate change, preservation of the oceans, proposing eco-friendly solutions to customers and developing an environmentally aware culture within the company are key components of its policy.

The launching of this innovative tool is, therefore, in line with the Group’s commitment to fighting climate change, one that has already seen a 26 per cent drop in carbon dioxide emissions between 2007 and 2010 (from 107 to 85 grams/kilometre-TEU). The target is 80g/km-TEU by the end of 2012, a reduction of 30 per cent in five years.