Scope 3 Users’ GHG Emissions in Highway Concessions: An ASIF-Based Governance Framework

Road transport is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, representing a significant challenge when it comes to achieving climate goals. Although methodologies such as Activity–Structure–Intensity–Fuel (ASIF) are widely used to estimate transport emissions, their application as regulatory instruments remains unexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a framework that operationalizes ASIF for managing Scope 3 emissions in toll-road concessions. Using operational and traffic data from a major Brazilian highway concession, baseline emissions are compared with intervention scenarios involving the adoption of initiatives such as free-flow tolling and fleet electrification. The results demonstrate that emission reductions can be associated with specific ASIF components and can be translated into measurable contractual indicators. In the case study, the implementation of free-flow tolling reduced emissions at toll plazas by up to 37%. Fleet electrification, which is now limited by the charging capacity of roads, can be improved and have its effects captured by the framework so that actions resulting from the concessions made to improve availability can enable policies aimed at reducing total user-related emissions. The study is the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to operationalize the ASIF methodology as a governance and contractual instrument for Scope 3 emissions management in highway concessions in Brazil. By bridging emissions estimation and concession governance, it provides a practical framework for incorporating Scope 3 mitigation targets into concession contracts and climate-oriented transport regulation.