KIANEWS DB Schenker, Lufthansa Cargo and Nokia join forces on CO2-neutral air freight
28. 10. 2021 Thursday / By: Robert Denes / Industrial / Exact time: BST / Print this page
DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo have announced that they will extend their weekly CO2-free freight services between Frankfurt and Shanghai on a full winter schedule until March 2022, as Nokia has now joined the initiative.
“The global telecommunications network operator avoids greenhouse gas emissions every week by using the world’s only cargo flight, which is 100 percent covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is produced from renewable waste such as used cooking oil,” the statement said.The fuel needs of the flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Shanghai (PVG) and back are fully covered by SAF. This can save about 174 tons of conventional kerosene per week. During the 2021 summer agenda, the initiative successfully reduced greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions by 20,250 tonnes net. An additional 14,175 tonnes are expected in the upcoming winter schedule, from the end of October 2021 to the end of March 2022.
Thorsten Meincke, DB Schenker’s global board member for air and ocean freight, said: “SAF’s full charter rotation is changing the game as it goes beyond the pay-per-use system. We are pleased to have Nokia as a new major customer on board our Western flights.”
Tommi Uitto, President of Nokia Mobile Networks, said: “We are constantly striving to reduce our transport and logistics carbon footprint, and air cargo is making a significant contribution to this. Cooperation to transport our 5G equipment on carbon-neutral flights is another important step.”
Over the next five months, Nokia will use the carbon-neutral aviation offer to deliver 10 tons of communications network equipment per week from a manufacturing plant in Shanghai to its European headquarters in Tilburg, the Netherlands. This shipment is fully covered by SAF to reduce carbon emissions by 100% over the life cycle, avoiding compensation. The full agreement with DB Schenker covers both air and land transportation of goods from Shanghai to Tilburg. Each land transport element will be covered using another advanced biofuel, hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).
Ashwin Bhat, Commercial Director of Lufthansa Cargo: “Using SAF is already one of the options for CO2-neutral flying today. We are very proud to be able to extend our partnership with DB Schenker in the coming months. We are convinced that the best way to turn our business into CO2-neutral air freight is to join forces.”
Today’s announcement follows that in November 2020, DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo launched the world’s first CO2-neutral freight rotation between Europe and Asia. Starting from the April 2021 summer schedule, regular freight line connections have entered the market.
The SAF used for the cooperation is made entirely from waste and residual raw materials such as used cooking oils. The CO2 released during combustion in the engine is only the CO2 that has escaped from the atmosphere during the photosynthetic phase of the plants used to produce the oils. Currently, SAF is about three times more expensive than traditional fossil kerosene.
Greenhouse gas emissions from fuel production and transportation are fully offset by certified offset projects, ensuring the full greenhouse gas neutrality of the flights. Alternatively, the customer can choose a complete built-in solution - the solution chosen by Nokia for shipping. This is by far the most sustainable option on the market. This is a true “carbon-zero” solution.
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