GHG Calculator

May 2023

Cross value-chain carbon emissions tool for IIM Bangalore — GST-style input-output accounting in Go

Website

I built a supply chain emissions quantification tool under Prof. Aditya Gupta at IIM Bangalore to standardize CO2e reporting for companies throughout the value chain.

GHG Calculator Interface

The Challenge

Freight transportation is a significant contributor to global emissions, but calculating the environmental impact of shipping goods is surprisingly complex. Different transport modes (road, rail, sea, air), vehicle types, fuel sources, and routes all affect the final emissions figure. Most companies have no standardized way to quantify their logistics footprint.

The Approach

The core insight was modeling supply-chain emissions like GST-style input-output accounting. Just as GST tracks value added at each stage of production, we track emissions added at each stage of the supply chain. This makes it possible to attribute emissions accurately across complex multi-party logistics.

Calculator Details

Technical Implementation

Go Backend

I built the backend in Go for performance and concurrency. The calculation engine needed to handle:

  • Distance calculation using geographic coordinates
  • Mode-specific emission factors from recognized sources (DEFRA, EPA)
  • Load factor adjustments for partial shipments
  • Well-to-wheel vs tank-to-wheel emissions calculations
  • Batch processing of large shipment datasets

Go's strong typing made the complex emissions logic much easier to reason about and test.

Modular Calculator

The system is designed with configurable parameters for different users:

  • Manufacturers: Track emissions from raw material sourcing to finished goods delivery
  • Transport operators: Calculate per-shipment and fleet-wide emissions
  • Policy analysts: Model the impact of different regulatory scenarios

Features

  • Multi-modal support: Calculate emissions for road, rail, air, and sea freight
  • Route optimization: Compare emissions across different route options
  • Reporting: Generate reports suitable for sustainability disclosures
  • Batch processing: Upload spreadsheets of shipments for bulk calculation

Impact

The tool was used by IIM Bangalore for research into sustainable supply chain practices and helped companies understand their logistics emissions in a standardized, comparable way for the first time.

Built with Pratham Aggarwal.