The IZT developed an online tool that railway companies can use to calculate their particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions based on their annual fuel consumption. The methodology developed by the IZT has contributed and continues to contribute to reducing exhaust emissions as part of the 2030 emissions reduction strategy. Railway companies were able to report their independently determined emissions on the basis of three different reporting bases (including information on the methodology). Railway companies that had not yet established reporting processes for emissions were able to use the same online tool to calculate their emissions based on the composition of their diesel fleet (age structure of vehicles and emission limits complied with).

In 2010, the International Union of Railways and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Managers adopted their environmental and sustainability strategy "Moving towards Sustainable Mobility: European Rail Sector Strategy 2030 and beyond". Among other things, this set out targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from European rail transport and methods for monitoring the achievement of these targets on an annual basis.

The strategy also set ambitious targets for the reduction of exhaust emissions from diesel traction - nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Based on the extensive preliminary work carried out by the IZT in the CleanER-D projectthe IZT was commissioned to develop a methodology to track and monitor the achievement of exhaust gas reduction targets.

Furthermore, the IZT calculated the diesel exhaust emissions for the base year 2005, which served as a basis for comparison of the exhaust gas reduction.