How Opter calculates CO2 emissions

For Opter version 2025.06.00 and earlier, the CO2 emissions of the shipment are calculated based on the distance of the Opter/PTV, even if the distance is manually entered on the order and the order has only one shipment.

As of Opter version 2025.12.00 the shipment will automatically receive the same distance as you have specified on the order, if

• The order has only one shipment.

• The shipment does not have a manually specified distance.

• You enter the distance manually on the order.

The calculated CO2 emissions of the shipment are then based on the manually entered distance on the order. For more information, see This is how Opter calculates the CO2 emissions for a shipment below.

The estimated CO2 emissions for the order are calculated when the customer places the order, and the calculation is based on the following:

• The distance as it is calculated on the order.

• Selected price vehicle type (CO2 emissions, or fuel and fuel consumption).

• The CO2 emission factor of the service according to one of the following (depending on the settings that are made):

  • The CO2 emission factor of the service.

  • The CO2 emission factor of the price vehicle type on the service.

  • The CO2 emission factor of the service, combined with the pricing weight of the order compared to the price vehicle type’s capacity. (For more information, see Please take into account the pricing weight when calculating CO2 emissions below.)

The estimated CO2 emissions for the order are based on factors that the customer can influence, such as the choice of service and the price vehicle type. The estimated CO2 emissions are therefore not recalculated when we later know which vehicle is carrying out the transport or when we decide to go via a terminal, for example. If you want to know a more precise calculation of the CO2 emissions of an order, use the calculated CO2 emissions of the order instead. (The calculated CO2 emissions for the order are recalculated when we, for example, decide to go via a terminal or change vehicles).

The following applies to consignments

• We may choose to group shipments in a consignment, but this creation of a consignment does not affect the order placed by the customer. In other words, the estimated CO2 emissions of the order are not affected by whether or not the shipments are in a consignment.

• The estimated CO2 emissions for consignment orders are calculated when the consignment order is created, and the calculation is based on the same parameters as a regular customer order.

The calculated CO2 emissions for a shipment are a more accurate calculation than the estimated CO2 emissions for an order, and the calculation is based on the following:

• The shipment’s distance in km.

  If there is no distance on the shipment, the order’s distance in km x the shipment’s percentage share of the order is used.

  If the distance is entered manually on the order

  As of Opter version 2025.12.00 the shipment will automatically receive the same distance as you have specified on the order, if

  • The order has only one shipment.

  • The shipment does not have a manually specified distance.

    (In the Order reception, in the section Shipments, under Details, in the tab Pricing, in the fields under Distance.)

  • You enter the distance manually on the order.

  The calculated CO2 emissions of the shipment are then based on the manually entered distance on the order. If the order is later split into several shipments, Opter will recalculate the CO2 emissions of the shipments based on the PTV distance calculation (i.e. not on the manually entered distance of the order).

  For Opter version 2025.06.00 and earlier, the CO2 emissions of the shipment are calculated based on the distance of the Opter/PTV, even if the distance is manually entered on the order and the order has only one shipment.

• The CO2 emissions of the vehicle, vehicle type or price vehicle type in grams/km:

  The data on CO2 emissions is taken firstly from the vehicle, secondly from the vehicle type and thirdly from the price vehicle type.

  If the shipment is subcontracted, the CO2 emissions data will be obtained firstly from the subcontractor and secondly from the price vehicle type.

  The CO2 emissions data is retrieved from the relevant register in Opter (e.g. vehicle register or subcontractor register) and can be entered directly as CO2 emissions (in g/km) or as fuel and fuel consumption.

  If CO2 emissions (g/km), Fuel and Fuel consumption (per 100 km) are specified, Opter uses the data in the CO2 emissions (g/km) field to calculate CO2 emissions.

  If you want Opter to calculate the CO2 emissions of the vehicle, vehicle type, price vehicle type and/or subcontractor (in g/km), leave the field CO2 emissions (g/km) empty and fill in the fields Fuel and Fuel consumption (per 100 km).

  If the shipment is subcontracted

  If the shipment is subcontracted, your Opter can obtain information on CO2 emissions in one of the following ways

  • Via EDI, i.e. the subcontractor sends information on calculated CO2 emissions via EDI. For more information, see CO2 emissions via EDI.

  • Via the subcontracting register, from Opter version 2025.12.00 and later.

    That is, via the fields CO2 emissions (g/km), Fuel, Fuel consumption (per 100 km) and Capacity converted into pricing weight (kg) on the Emissions tab of the Subcontractors window.

  • Via the price vehicle type.

    That is, via the fields CO2 emissions (g/km), Fuel, Fuel consumption (per 100 km) and Capacity converted into pricing weight (kg) on the Emissions tab of the Price vehicle types window.

  If you have entered CO2 emissions data in the subcontractor register, and on the price vehicle type, and if you also receive Calculated CO2 emissions data from the subcontractor via EDI, then

  1. Opter uses the Calculated CO2 emissions data (for the shipment/order) received via EDI.

  2. If you later change something on which the CO2 emissions calculations in Opter are based, such as the distance of the shipment or order, Opter will calculate the CO2 emissions for the shipment/order based on the data in the subcontractor register.

     If CO2 emissions data is not available in the subcontractor register, Opter will use the data on the price vehicle type.

     The same applies if you choose to recalculate the CO2 emissions of the order (where the shipment is included) in the order check or in the Order reception. For more information, see Recalculate CO2 emissions for orders.

• The CO2 emission factor of the service according to one of the following (depending on the settings that are made):

  • The CO2 emission factor of the service.

  • The CO2 emission factor of the price vehicle type on the service.

  • The CO2 emission factor of the service, combined with the pricing weight of the order compared to the vehicle’s capacity.

    The information on the vehicle Capacity converted into pricing weight (kg) is taken firstly from the vehicle, secondly from the vehicle type and thirdly from the price vehicle type. If the shipment is subcontracted, the vehicle's Capacity converted into pricing weight (kg) is taken firstly from the subcontractor register and secondly from the price vehicle type.

    (For more information, see Please take into account the pricing weight when calculating CO2 emissions below.)

• For consignments, it works in different ways, depending on the setting that has been made.

  You select if the CO2 emissions calculated for the consignment order are to be distributed between the original shipments, and in that case how the CO2 emissions should be distributed. (The settings are described in Step 8 of Settings for CO2 emission calculations.)

  Depending on the setting you have made, Opter does one of the following:

  • If you have chosen not to allocate the CO2 emissions to the original shipments, the original shipments (and therefore the original orders) retain their normal CO2 emission calculations, as if they were not in a consignment.

  • If you select that the consignment order’s calculated CO2 emissions are to be distributed among the original shipments, Opter does the following:

    1. Totals the CO2 emissions of the consignment shipments that are included in the consignment order.

    2. Distributes the CO2 emissions calculated for the consignment order between the original shipments, in the chosen way. (For more information, see Step 7 in Settings for CO2 emission calculations.)

    Thereafter, every time something changes in the consignment (i.e. something that affects the calculated CO2 emissions from the consignment shipments), Opter performs steps 1 and 2 above again. For example, if a shipment is added to or removed from the consignment.

Formulae

In Opter, the CO2 emissions for a shipment are calculated using one of the following formulae:

• If pricing weight is not taken into account:

  Distance × CO2 emissions from the vehicle × emission factor.

  Example: 350 km × 760 g/km × emission factor 0.85 = 226 100 g CO

  (The CO2 emission factor in the example is 85%, therefore Opter uses 0.85 in the calculation).

• If pricing weight is taken into account:

  Distance × CO2 emissions of the vehicle × emission factor x (pricing weight of the order / capacity of the vehicle).

  Example: 350 km × 760 g/km × emission factor 0,85 × (order pricing weight 20 000 kg / vehicle capacity 40 000 kg) = 113 050 g CO

  (The calculation is thus 350 x 760 x 0.85 x 0.5 = 113 050.)

• For consignments, if you select that the consignment order’s calculated CO2 emissions are to be distributed among the original shipments, Opter does the following:

  1. Totals the CO2 emissions of the consignment shipments that are included in the consignment order.

  2. Distributes the CO2 emissions calculated for the consignment order between the original shipments. For more information, see Step 8 in Settings for CO2 emission calculations.