The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit

This article assesses the carbon footprint due to the transportation, handling and storage (i.e. distribution) of fresh fruit exported from South Africa to various international markets. This is the most detailed study of its kind on the scale and profile of the end-to-end distributional emissions o...

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Main Authors: Martin du Plessis, Joubert van Eeden, Leila Louise Goedhals-Gerber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002301
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author Martin du Plessis
Joubert van Eeden
Leila Louise Goedhals-Gerber
author_facet Martin du Plessis
Joubert van Eeden
Leila Louise Goedhals-Gerber
author_sort Martin du Plessis
collection DOAJ
description This article assesses the carbon footprint due to the transportation, handling and storage (i.e. distribution) of fresh fruit exported from South Africa to various international markets. This is the most detailed study of its kind on the scale and profile of the end-to-end distributional emissions of fresh fruit. The study also maps the typical logistical processes by which different types of fresh fruit are exported globally. It also summarises a novel 6-step emission standard. The study assessed all emission-generating distribution activities of packed fruit, from the gate of fruit-packing facility to the international destination port, including empty-vehicle movements and empty reefer-container repositioning. The distribution-specific carbon footprint for scenarios where ocean transport is used varies between 0.31 and 0.84 kg CO2e/kg of fruit. For air transportation, it can be approximately 11.35 kg CO2e/kg of fruit. Results show that the carbon footprint of the seven representative distribution scenarios depends on various factors.
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series Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
spelling doaj-art-cacafef07cf243b5890b03c8b3ae06322025-08-22T04:58:03ZengElsevierTransportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives2590-19822025-07-013210155110.1016/j.trip.2025.101551The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruitMartin du Plessis0Joubert van Eeden1Leila Louise Goedhals-Gerber2Department of Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa; Corresponding author.Department of Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South AfricaDepartment of Industrial Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South AfricaThis article assesses the carbon footprint due to the transportation, handling and storage (i.e. distribution) of fresh fruit exported from South Africa to various international markets. This is the most detailed study of its kind on the scale and profile of the end-to-end distributional emissions of fresh fruit. The study also maps the typical logistical processes by which different types of fresh fruit are exported globally. It also summarises a novel 6-step emission standard. The study assessed all emission-generating distribution activities of packed fruit, from the gate of fruit-packing facility to the international destination port, including empty-vehicle movements and empty reefer-container repositioning. The distribution-specific carbon footprint for scenarios where ocean transport is used varies between 0.31 and 0.84 kg CO2e/kg of fruit. For air transportation, it can be approximately 11.35 kg CO2e/kg of fruit. Results show that the carbon footprint of the seven representative distribution scenarios depends on various factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002301Carbon footprintCold chainDistributionFruit supply chainGHG emissionsLogistics
spellingShingle Martin du Plessis
Joubert van Eeden
Leila Louise Goedhals-Gerber
The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Carbon footprint
Cold chain
Distribution
Fruit supply chain
GHG emissions
Logistics
title The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
title_full The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
title_fullStr The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
title_full_unstemmed The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
title_short The carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
title_sort carbon footprint of transporting fresh seasonal fruit
topic Carbon footprint
Cold chain
Distribution
Fruit supply chain
GHG emissions
Logistics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590198225002301
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