With the right insights, you can start a conversation with your partners about making the supply chain more sustainable. Together with CO2 reduction program Lean & Green, we organized a knowledge session on data and sustainability on the 6th of May. Van den Bosch and Ricoh, users of our platform, were speakers during this online event. They shared about their experiences with BigMile and what advantages it brings them.
“It is important to gain insight into the CO2 performance of your company. It helps you to achieve your sustainable goals.” -Alex Matatula (Head of Community at Lean & Green) explains. To be eligible for recognition for your sustainable performance, you must demonstrate your performance within the Lean & Green program. They offer the BigMile ‘Carbon Footprint’ solution to calculate your CO2 footprint. The static report that their participants can roll out with BigMile helps to validate the entered data. “With the extended ‘Carbon Analytics’ version you can also allocate on different dimensions.” -Sven Poot (Business Development Consultant at BigMile) adds.
Perform CO2 calculation with little data
“We can already start with relatively little data. By enriching this data with actual fuel data, you can make an extensive analysis.” – says Poot. At both Van den Bosch and Ricoh, they ultimately used their own data to do the analyzes. “With BigMile we load about one analysis per week, divided per month.” -Dick Schouten (Project Manager at Van den Bosch) explains. In combination with BigMile they search for ways to reduce together with their customers.
“Requesting the correct data from our carrier every month was not an option.” -Stef Jacobs (Transport Supervisor at Ricoh) tells us. They outsource their transport and are dependent on receiving the data from their partners. Yet they can get a lot of insights out of their own data with BigMile. “We know where the product comes from, where it is going to and which way it moves through the supply chain.” –Jacobs says. BigMile adds additional information like distance and the right emission factor to make the correct calculation.
BigMile is always providing a helping hand

Sometimes lots of companies ask for a way to provide them with the right CO2 calculation and sometimes it is a matter of raising awareness. Van den Bosch uses the insights as a way to prepare themselves and their customers for any CO2 taxes that might be implemented. “We want to encourage our customers to take this seriously and act on it now.” -Schouten informs us. The people of BigMile join them when they meet their customers for an emission check. Understanding the emissions helps them look for the opportunities that are there and what Van den Bosch can offer them. In addition to that, they also use the insights on their quotations. Their customers can choose from different options, playing with various parameters. “We let customers make a conscious choice: ‘What if I choose this scenario, then maybe I will be on the road longer, I will emit less and it will cost me a little less.’” -Schouten explains.
At BigMile we love to help, Jacobs indicates that with the help of BigMile they were able to convert raw data into data that actually provided them with useful information. Ricoh uses different data files, both inbound and outbound. They have changed their pull strategy into a push strategy. This way they can effectively keep track of stocks and work with costumer demand as sustainable as possible.
The benefits of multimodal
Van den Bosch switched to intermodal transport in 2010. About 78% of their transport is currently intermodal and 22% is done by road. A good way to lower your emissions. Ricoh also strives to use more modalities. He explains how the new feature of BigMile can help them achieve that goal. Using BigMile’s scenario feature, they can analyze what a modal shift can bring them in terms of CO2 reduction. “We can use that to strengthen the business case.” -according to Jacobs.
Would you also like to gain insight into your footprint?
Insights makes conversations with your customers a lot easier. And by using BigMile you can easily spot which improvements can be made and make this the starting point of the conversation with your customers. Curious about how BigMile can help you optimize your transport and reduce your CO2 emissions? Feel free to contact us at info@bigmile.eu.