Prevention and control of emissions in intermodal transport: The importance of environmental protection

Air pollution is one of the main problems that many companies and public bodies discuss in order to find a solution to protect the environment. This phenomenon is defined as a state of alteration of the natural conditions of the air and can be caused by various factors known as pollutants. A large part of polluting emissions is due to urban traffic and in particular because of the circulation of cars. The object of this paper is to study the emissions of harmful substances, through the use of the "Carbon Footprint" tool, in the intermodal transport sector. This is a very powerful and useful tool that represents the gas emissions attributable to a product, an individual or an organisation. The impact that these emissions have on anthropogenic climate change is thereby measured and expressed in terms of kg of CO2eq (CO2 equivalent). The quantification phase of the carbon footprint becomes an opportunity for company management, by understanding the impact of each stage there is the chance to gather further efficiencies throughout the production cycles and take actions in order to improve those indicators. Therefore, the objective set by the following study is to analyse how to make the transport sector more efficient both in economic terms and in terms of polluting emissions starting from a case study. "F. LLI DI MARTINO S.P.A. ", founded in Catania (IT) in Eastern Sicily in 1969 and operating in the intermodal transport sector, was chosen because it boasts certifications such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Over the years it has also adopted a proactive behaviour, proving to be very sensitive towards the environmental issue. The innovation proposed with the use of Carbon Footprint is that of accounting for the quantity of polluting emissions released during the transport phase, favoring a reduction in impact, greater transparency and information for customers.