Shipping is responsible for around 10% of emissions covered by the EU ETS, yet pays almost 20% of the bill. European Shipowners | ECSA’s study of 15 October 2026 puts that gap in plain numbers: unlike other sectors, shipping has never received free allowances. For logistics providers, that cost already lands on customer invoices as ETS surcharges. Providers who can show CO₂e per shipment, and report it per customer, answer the question before it becomes a fight in a tender.

What ECSA found

According to ECSA, shipping “pays almost 20% of the total ETS revenues, although it is responsible for 10% of the emissions covered by the ETS.” The sector has never received a free allowance. ECSA also asks the European Parliament and Council to at least triple ETS revenues earmarked for the Commission’s Sustainable Maritime Alternative Propulsion (SMAP) mechanism. That ask is for carriers and Brussels. What matters for you is how the current cost already reaches your customers.

Why that cost shows up on your customer’s invoice

Carriers buy and surrender allowances for voyages in scope of the EU ETS. At an EU carbon price of about 85 EUR per tonne CO₂e, those purchases are real cash. They typically flow into freight rates and ETS surcharges on ocean lanes that touch the EU. FuelEU Maritime adds a separate compliance cost on the fuel mix. Your customer sees a line item. They will ask what it covers, and whether it is fair for their shipments.

Why a flat surcharge is not enough

A flat surcharge treats every TEU the same. It does not show which lane, vessel or mode drove the cost. In a tender, shippers increasingly ask for emissions per lane or per shipment. If your answer is only a rate card, you are explaining a cost without the data behind it. That is hard to defend when a competitor can show CO₂e per shipment and a clear report for that customer.

What shipment-level ready looks like for a provider

Shipment-level ready means you can calculate accredited CO₂e for each shipment, then report it per customer without a scramble. With Lune, forwarders and platforms get CO₂ figures for every shipment, plus analytics pages generated automatically for each customer (Client Accounts and a custom Sustainability Page). Calculations align with the GLEC Framework and are certified by Smart Freight Centre as ISO 14083 compliant.

Logixboard’s freight forwarders use Lune for CO₂ reporting: 30+ paying customers and 1,100,000+ shipments. Forto reports 60% of customers taking climate action across 3+ million shipments. Christian Volp, Senior Sustainability Manager at Forto: “With Lune’s reliable emission visibility, we’ve transformed sustainability into a commercial differentiator.”

When the next tender asks for emissions per lane, or a customer questions an ETS surcharge, you already have the numbers.

Can you show each customer the CO₂e behind their surcharge, shipment by shipment?

See Lune for logistics providers

FAQ

What did ECSA find about shipping and the EU ETS?
Shipping is responsible for around 10% of EU ETS emissions but pays almost 20% of the ETS bill, and has never received free allowances (ECSA, 15 October 2026).

Why do logistics providers need shipment-level emissions for ETS surcharges?
ETS and related FuelEU costs often land on customers as surcharges. Without CO₂e per shipment, a flat surcharge is hard to explain or defend in a tender. Shipment-level figures and per-customer reports answer the question with data.

How do logistics providers report emissions per customer with Lune?
Lune generates analytics per customer (Client Accounts and a custom Sustainability Page), with accredited calculations aligned to the GLEC Framework and certified by Smart Freight Centre as ISO 14083 compliant (lune.co/logistics).