Integrating neglected ecological impacts of road transport into corporate management

Abstract

Companies producing consumer goods are showing a greater interest in integrating the concept of ‘environmental footprinting’ into their management. Usually, one component of a footprint is road transport. While land use and greenhouse gas emissions are accounted for in life cycle assessment the focus often is on the latter. The additional impact by roads and vehicles – particularly regarding biological diversity – is seldom considered. One reason for this deficit is that findings from road ecology are not sufficiently quantifiable to integrate in life cycle or footprinting analyses. In this article, approaches for quantifying direct land use, degradation of adjunct area, and fragmentation are introduced. Methodologically, this is achieved through a literature analysis and the use of case studies. Four equations are presented that allow measuring spatial impacts of transport processes. Results can be used for more complete impact mitigation and reporting in the context of LCA.