When discussions about freight decarbonization take place, they often focus on targets and technology. But what does it actually take to turn emissions data into decisions that move a business forward?
In a recent episode of Smart Freight Conversations: The Catalyst Series, Andy Golding, Director of Strategic Services at Smart Freight Centre, spoke with Natalia Lykova, Senior Director of Group Sustainability Insights at DSV. This conversation offers a practical look at how one of the world's largest logistics providers connects sustainability data with real business decisions across road, air, sea, and rail.
Why Data Alone Is Not Enough
DSV works across every transport mode, engaging with industry players and customers throughout the value chain. Natalia's role sits at the intersection of sustainability data and business, converting decarbonization ambitions into practical measures, from carbon emission accounting to decarbonization products.
According to Natalia, data for its own sake is the wrong way to approach the problem. Emissions calculations only create value when they lead to action. At DSV, this means connecting emissions data directly to its Book and Claim process and products, shifting customer conversations from "can you deliver a CO2 report" to "what can we actually do to decarbonize."
Engaging Procurement Early
One of the most practical insights from the conversation was the role of procurement in scaling decarbonization.
Natalia's advice: engage procurement early. When DSV began its Book and Claim journey, procurement was the first team brought to the table. This helped embed sustainability into regular procurement processes, including requirements like the EU Renewable Energy Directive, while also empowering the team to think strategically about long-term supplier partnerships rather than one-off transactions.
Treating suppliers as partners, not just vendors, opens the door to joint investment, shared risk reduction, and co-developed solutions, which matters given that more than 95 percent of DSV's emissions fall under Scope 3.
The Multimodal Challenge
DSV's position across road, air, sea, and rail means facing different decarbonization realities in each mode.
For road freight, electrification is now DSV's core priority, with biofuels serving as a transition fuel. Reaching total cost of ownership parity remains the central challenge, alongside choices between competing fuel types such as ammonia, biogas, and methanol. For aviation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel remains the only scalable option available today, with the industry still searching for additional solutions.
Scaling any of these technologies requires collaboration across the value chain, along with financial mechanisms like internal carbon pricing to direct investment toward the right projects.
Why Standards Matter
Trust is central to credible decarbonization, and standards play a key role in building it.
Natalia noted that sustainability, unlike financial systems that have developed over centuries, operates within a standards landscape that is still evolving. Smart Freight Centre plays a role in helping to stabilize and shape that landscape. The Book and Claim Market-Based Measures Framework is one example, now feeding into broader frameworks such as SBTi standards and the GHG Protocol.
Looking Ahead
Asked what excites her most about the next three to five years, Natalia pointed to scaling DSV's product offering, connecting the knowledge and intelligence built on carbon data with tangible decarbonization processes delivered to customers.
Her message to others navigating this space: the path can feel daunting, but that is not a reason to wait. Progress happens through collaboration, both across the value chain and within organizations, between finance, procurement, operations, and planning teams.
Listen to the full episode of Smart Freight Conversations to hear Natalia's insights on data, procurement, and multimodal decarbonization. Enroll in the courses below to learn more.
