The environmentally-friendly way to travel to France

If you’re looking for a more sustainable way to travel to France, LeShuttle is the answer. We are the environmentally-friendly way to travel to France by car, and this page will show you all the ways we achieve this.

Here at Eurotunnel, leader in low-carbon transport to meet the expectations of our customers. Did you know...

  • Eurotunnel has chosen 100% electric rail traction since the design of the Channel Tunnel 

  • Today, more than 50% of renewable energy is used in the group's electricity consumption

  • A car crossing the Channel on our Shuttle service emits 73 times less carbon emissions than by ferry*

  • Thanks to all its activities, the group avoids 1.4 million tons of  CO2e   (about 350,000t CO2e avoided for The Shuttle passengers)

  • Getlink is rated A- Leadership Level at CDP, the international benchmark for carbon performance

Support for electric vehicles (EVs)

Travelling by EV is even kinder on the environment, so we want to support our customers doing so as much as we can. We have EV chargers on site for customer use. Our chargers support Tesla as well as most other models (check electric vehicle charging availability).

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Calculate your carbon saving

LeShuttle
2kg CO2
on average per crossing
Calais-Dover ferry
147kg CO2
on average per crossing
Calculate the average amount of CO2e emissions saved when choosing to cross the Channel with LeShuttle.
Calculate
kg of CO2ekg of CO2e
By choosing to cross the Channel with LeShuttle, you can reduce CO2e emissions by kg of CO2ekg of CO2e.
Moreover, thanks to its geographical location, LeShuttle terminal is just off the M20 motorway which can save up to 25 km to your journey. With less fuel consumption, customers benefit from a further reduction of 5 kg of CO2 emissions.
CO2e emissions for ferry & LeShuttle: Calculation was performed by the Carbone 4 company. Approach was based on GLEC Transport Framework recommendations (compatible with GHG Protocol). CO2e emissions include emissions from fuels (all types of fuel), from electricity consumption and emissions during fuel production (known as “upstream emissions”). Study carried out in 2020, using 2019 data.

Compare CO2 emissions

Did you know? Comparison of CO2 emissions per passenger on a Paris-London route in kgCO2e/passenger according to the means of transport. Graph based on independent work done by Carbon 4* in 2020 using emissions data from 2019.
 

A Eurotunnel freight shuttle

Getlink, a group committed to its ambitious decarbonization trajectory. Did you know…

> Even if the emissions at the group's terminal are limited (50 ktCO2e), Getlink has set science-based commitments aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C in accordance with the Paris agreements. This concerns direct emissions and emissions related to its electricity consumption (Scopes 1&2): 
o    30% in 2025 compared to 2019
o    54% in 2030 compared to 2019
o    Ambition of Net Zero in 2050.

> Many powerful actions have already been launched by the group securing a trend of reduction of about 4% to 5% per year: 
o    Development of renewable energies for its electricity consumption (off-site and on-site production), optimization of the number of vehicles per shuttle, use of bio-fuel for the locomotives of its freight subsidiary Europorte, electrification of the industrial maintenance vehicles…
o    For our Eurotunnel freight customers: provision of electric charging stations for refrigerated vehicles. 
 

A Eurotunnel freight shuttle

And our commitments to reduce our impact on the planet don't just stop there!

> We preserve our natural resources, for example by reducing our water consumption or integrating environmental performance into our sustainable purchasing practices. We carry out actions to defend and preserve biodiversity on all the land managed by the group in France and the United Kingdom, which represents more than 60 ha!

Did you know? When construction of the Channel Tunnel began in 1988, we created Samphire Hoe as part of the work. It is a 30-hectare site consisting of 4.9 million cubic meters of limestone marl from the tunnel excavations. This biodiversity reserve where wildlife thrives is perfect for walking, fishing and enjoying the stunning natural scenery www.samphirehoe.com

In France, areas around the plain of Sangatte and the Laubanie area are dedicated to the development of biodiversity (plant and avifauna diversity in particular)

> We control our waste by giving it a new life by developing integral selective sorting for our customers and staff and by promoting the reuse, recycling and recovery of waste (Target is to reach 90% on the British terminal)

To learn more about our commitments to sustainable mobility as part of our 2025 environmental plan, visit the Group's website Environmental Plan 2025. To learn more about our CSR commitments, visit the Group’s website Strategy and sustainability.

Samphire Hoe nature reserve

Samphire Hoe

Every year since 2005 LeShuttle has been awarded the highly prestigious Green Flag Award® for the 30-hectare Samphire Hoe nature reserve at the foot of the beautiful White Cliffs of Dover. Visit the Samphire Hoe website to find out more.

Low carbon in the UK

A view of Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Terminal from the air

Since 2018 every electric KWh used by Getlink in the UK is contractually provided only by nuclear power plants, the production of electricity to power our electrical trains emit no additional carbon in the air!1

Less carbon with LeShuttle Freight

A Eurotunnel freight shuttle

Just like a car carrying passengers, our shuttles also help other modes of transport carry freight across the channel. However, we are constantly striving to improve our environmental performance and produce less carbon and other harmful emissions. A truck using LeShuttle will emit 12x less CO2e than if it completed its journey on a ferry. Using a 1090 km journey as an example this represents a 10% drop in CO2e emissions. As well as a truck crossing the Channel with LeShuttle emitting 12 times less CO2 than with the ferries, a 25 km journey from Folkestone to Dover saves a further 20 kg of carbon emissions each way.

Book your next trip to Europe with LeShuttle

Ready to travel to France in the most environmentally-friendly way by car?

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References

The following refers to data on this page:

Carbone 4 data is based on
• 2019 data
• Expert simulation for ferry emissions in the Short Strait
• Most recognized methodologies: GHG Protocol, GLEC Framework
• Car emissions are calculated with a filling of 2 passengers per car
• Emission factors from the Carbon Base ® ADEME and UK Conversion factors from the DBEIS Ministry
• Emissions include emissions related to Fuel, Electricity (Scopes 1+2) and energy related Upstream emissions (Scope 3a)
• Emission factor for electricity is on a location-based methodology (sector: transport)

•What is the CO2e footprint ? How is it calculated ?
These are the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted by the train as a result of its energy consumption. The GHG footprint is the measure of the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the main one being carbon dioxide (CO2), there is also methane (CH4) and nitrous oxides (N2O). The whole is expressed in CO2equivalent (CO2e). In the case  of rail traction in tunnels, the emissions  recorded in the calculator reflect the emissions  associated with the production of electricity needed to power trains. They are then divided by the number of vehicles that use the TheShuttle shuttles to establish emissions per vehicle and per crossing. 
 

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