Why smaller companies are key to cutting carbon across transport supply chains
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By Tom Austin-Morgan
Transport decarbonisation is often framed through the actions of major contractors and infrastructure clients, but thousands of smaller firms embedded across delivery, maintenance and supply chains play a critical role in shaping outcomes. As carbon reporting becomes embedded in procurement and design, these SMEs are increasingly central to how emissions are measured, managed and reduced.
Carbon data is now a core requirement in infrastructure delivery rather than a voluntary exercise. Frameworks linked to National Highways and the introduction of PAS 2080 have tightened expectations around carbon disclosure across highways, civils and utilities. Clients are no longer just asking for estimates; they need evidence too.
“This is a key area for our clients to think about,” says Hannah Bradley, product manager at Re-Flow. “One in three told us in a survey that carbon reporting was important and one in two said it was extremely important.” That shift is largely driven by regulation and procurement pressure. PAS 2080 is increasingly embedded within infrastructure frameworks, pushing carbon accountability into the supply chain. “They are suddenly being held to account,” Bradley adds. “So they need to be able to report that data in an easy, simple and quick way.”
However, the ability to deliver that reporting is constrained by fragmented data, with operational information typically spread across spreadsheets, telematics systems, emails and manual processes. SMEs often rely on small teams to assemble carbon data without full visibility of site activity. “The manual burden is huge when you try and collate it,” Bradley says. “And it’s usually only done by one or two people calling depots asking for mileage or equipment use from the last month.”
This fragmentation also creates inefficiency. Even organisations with digital systems in place struggle to link operational data to project-level emissions, particularly where telematics or equipment records are not aligned with job-level reporting. The result is a growing focus on integration. Platforms such as Re-Flow are attempting to reuse operational data already captured in scheduling, mileage tracking and site forms to automate carbon calculations. “We’re taking the data that’s already being submitted on site and matching it with carbon data using National Highways methodology,” Bradley explains.
While the reporting of carbon emissions remains the immediate driver, the wider value is operational. “It’s about visibility,” explains Adam Cane, head of sustainability at ACO Technologies. “A lot of data already exists, but giving clients the ability to make decisions about how they allocate resources or manage operations is essential no matter the company size.”
Carbon reporting is therefore beginning to overlap with efficiency gains. By reducing manual collation and consolidating systems, organisations are not only improving emissions data but also reducing administrative cost and time.
Looking ahead, both companies see a shift from retrospective reporting to decision-making, and carbon is increasingly expected to sit alongside cost in procurement and design decisions, particularly as National Highways and similar bodies develop tools to assess carbon alongside financial value. “It will be about decision-making, not just reporting,” Bradley says. At the same time, manufacturers such as ACO are embedding carbon considerations into design processes, with Environmental Product Declarations, lifecycle modelling and value engineering shifting the focus towards reducing embedded carbon at source.
“We help clients by comparing product carbon, looking at whether we can reduce excavation, concrete and/or pipe runs, which helps reduce carbon and site movements,” Cane says. However, despite growing contractual pressure, SMEs remain unevenly equipped for this transition, with many lacking the manpower or expertise to manage emissions data effectively. Industry initiatives such as the Supply Chain Sustainability School are helping to close that gap through free tools and training aligned to standard methodologies. As carbon reporting becomes embedded across procurement, design and operations, SMEs are moving from passive data providers to active participants in system-wide emissions reduction.
For more information about the Supply Chain Sustainability School, click here: www.supplychainschool.co.uk
To read CIHT'S 'Building carbon reduction into procurement processes' report, click here:
Image: Businesswoman assessing her company's carbon emissions. Credit: Shutterstock
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