Book & Claim: how shippers can turn Scope 3 pressure into a pragmatic decarbonization roadmap

The new pressure on shippers: ambitious targets, limited levers

For most shippers, transport-related emissions sit firmly in Scope 3. Many sustainability teams face real-world constraints: some markets lack access to sufficient volumes of low-carbon fuels. Infrastructure for electrification is uneven. Business units operate with different margins and risk profiles. What looks like an elegant global net-zero trajectory on paper quickly turns into a patchwork of regional challenges.

Book & Claim does not remove these constraints. But it allows shippers to work with them: investing in emissions reductions where they are technically and economically feasible, and then allocating the resulting reductions to the parts of the business that are accountable for Scope 3 targets and disclosures.

From net-zero targets to executable roadmaps

The core value of Book & Claim for shippers is its ability to translate climate commitments into concrete, region- and business-unit-specific decarbonization roadmaps. Instead of hoping that every lane can decarbonize at the same speed, sustainability teams can design a portfolio of actions that reflects where reduction potential and cost-efficiency are highest.

1. Map your footprint by region and business unit

A robust roadmap starts with a clear view of where transport emissions actually sit. That means disaggregating footprint data by region, mode, key corridors and business unit.

In practice, this often reveals very different realities: a European business unit with dense networks and access to low-carbon fuels; an emerging market operation with limited alternatives; a high-value product line for which customers are willing to pay a premium for greener logistics. This level of granularity is essential for later decisions on where to deploy Book & Claim units and how to explain the resulting strategy to internal and external stakeholders.

2. Identify cost-effective reduction opportunities

Once the footprint is mapped, the next step is to understand where tangible emissions reductions can be achieved at reasonable cost. Some measures will be operational – network optimization, load factor improvements, better planning with logistics partners. Others will rely on access to low-carbon fuels or new technologies.

Here, the perspective of insetting is important: rather than buying generic offsets, the goal is to finance reductions that are connected to the shipper’s own value chain, for example through investments in sustainable fuels used by contracted carriers on relevant routes. This not only supports long-term resilience of the supply chain, but also strengthens the credibility of claims towards auditors and customers.

3. Use Book & Claim to bridge regional gaps

In reality, not every business unit can decarbonize at the same pace. Some regions will have early access to sustainable fuels or electrified corridors; others will lag behind. Simply waiting until all markets catch up is rarely compatible with science-based targets or investor expectations.

Book & Claim addresses this asymmetry. Shippers can support emissions reductions where low-carbon solutions are available – for example by backing sustainable fuel use on specific routes – and ‘book’ the resulting reductions as discrete units. These units can then be ‘claimed’ by the business units that need them to stay on track against their Scope 3 roadmaps, even if their local infrastructure is not yet fully ready.

The key is that every unit is backed by verifiable data and credible certification. This maintains a direct link between reported reductions and real-world interventions, while allowing flexibility in where they are accounted for within the organization.

4. Allocate units and budgets across business units

Designing a roadmap is not only a technical exercise. It is also a question of governance and budget allocation. Many shippers therefore centralize the procurement of Book & Claim units, while allocating both costs and benefits to specific regions and business units.

This creates clarity: sustainability teams can set annual reduction targets by business unit, Procurement can negotiate volumes and prices with logistics partners, and Finance can integrate spending into existing budget cycles. Business units understand what share of their Scope 3 trajectory is driven by operational improvements and what share is backed by Book & Claim units.

When this is transparent, internal discussions with business leaders focus less on the existence of the mechanism and more on its economics and contribution to risk management.

5. Iterate based on performance data

Finally, roadmaps should not be static. As markets evolve, technologies mature and regulations change, the role of Book & Claim in a shipper’s decarbonization mix will also shift.

Sustainability teams can use performance data – emissions trends, cost per tonne of avoided CO₂, availability of new low-carbon options – to regularly revisit their allocation strategy. In some regions, Book & Claim may be a bridge solution until infrastructure catches up. In others, it may remain a central pillar because it is structurally more cost-effective than large-scale physical transformations.

How to get started with Book & Claim: small pilots, fast learning

For many sustainability leads, the challenge is less about understanding the concept of Book & Claim and more about knowing how to introduce it in a complex organization. A pragmatic way forward is to treat the first use cases as pilots designed for learning, not perfection.

Typical starting points include:

• Selecting one or two regions or business units with high logistics emissions and relatively good data availability.
• Partnering with a small group of logistics providers to test the purchase, booking and claiming of units for defined volumes.
• Tracking the impact on reported Scope 3 emissions, cost per tonne of avoided CO₂ and internal stakeholder acceptance.

Insights from these pilots can then inform a broader roadmap: where to scale, which contractual models work best, how to integrate data flows, and how to communicate the approach to senior leadership and external stakeholders.

Conclusion: turning a complex problem into a manageable roadmap

By combining granular emissions data, clear governance and the flexibility of Book & Claim, sustainability leaders can turn diffuse pressure into structured, cost-optimized decarbonization roadmaps. These roadmaps respect regional realities, support credible progress towards targets and provide boards and stakeholders with a transparent story of how the organization is financing real change in its logistics.

For shippers, that is ultimately the promise of Book & Claim: not a shortcut around difficult decisions, but a practical instrument for sequencing them and for making Scope 3 decarbonization manageable over time.

Download our white paper and learn more about the commercial benefits of Book & Claim.

To learn how your company can deal with complex emission data structures, please get in touch with one of our industry experts.