ecolegIT is a new sustainability programme for the moving and global mobility industry. It calculates the CO2 generated by any move, helping the moving company monitor its emissions and work towards improving them over time.

The company invests in sustainable forestry programmes to offset emissions by planting trees in developing countries where the climate is conducive to maximum CO₂ absorption.

Koen van Lierop from ecolegIT in the Netherlands said that there was a lot of greenwashing going on in the area of sustainability.  “We wanted to come up with a reliable system specifically to help the moving industry,” he said. “We've developed a smart algorithm for move and emission data. It calculates the emissions from domestic or international moves by road, air or sea.  All we require is basic information from the mover – origin, destination, shipment size, etc. – and this will allow us to calculate the emissions for any specific move or hundreds of moves at the same time.” 

The figures build over time to show a trend and to identify whether any downward movement results from smaller shipments or better sustainability practices.  “This helps corporations because it is easy for them to calculate the emissions from their core operations, but emissions from an international move are much more difficult to assess. ecolegIT does the work for them,” explained Koen.

The company works closely with a forestry partner that is recognised by the Dutch tax authorities as a Public Benefit organisation and certified by the Netherlands Fundraiser Regulator.  The Parsifal Corporation audits all transactions to ensure that the offset matches the level of emissions created by the consignment.  Parsifal issues annual certificates to participating companies as proof of their ‘green’ credentials.

ecolegIT charges a fee of approximately €40-€50 per consignment, depending on the type of shipment.  The money is used to cover all parts of the programme – including the full CO₂ offset, access to the ecolegIT Portal, the auditing costs and upkeep costs of the programme.

“Moving companies have found it increasingly difficult to establish their environmental footprint which is becoming increasingly important to their customers,” said Koen.  “Now we can serve both sides, the corporations who are demanding sustainability and the movers who are eager to provide it.”

For more information, click here to e-mail Koen.

Photo: ecolegIT calculates the CO2 generated by moves.