Transport chain

Definition

A transport chain is the complete sequence of transport operations and transfers used to move freight or passengers from origin to destination, spanning all modes — road, rail, air, sea, inland waterways and pipelines — plus the hubs, terminals and warehouses where goods change hands. It is the system boundary for transport emissions accounting: ISO 14083 (2023), which succeeded EN 16258 and absorbed the GLEC Framework, sets out how to quantify and report greenhouse gas emissions across the whole chain rather than leg by leg, so that services can be compared on a like-for-like basis. The concept feeds corporate Scope 3 accounting (categories 4 and 9, upstream and downstream transportation), freight-procurement decisions and product carbon footprints.