drink fair-trade coffee. In this increasingly green world, the transport company wants to prove it has a place in a cleaner future. Schön believes that as far as customers are concerned, the company is still on its way to “the turn of the tide.” The tide is turning, but it’s not there yet. She goes on to explain that, as things stand, customers want their goods to be transported all around the globe as greenly as possible, but they’re not lining up to pay more. As a result, revenue growth continues to depend on freight volumes, but that means more emissions. So as the company moves toward climate zero, it needs greater emissions savings – and customers who are willing to invest in the future. Schön believes that in the long run, we need to start thinking in terms of a new, less aggressive growth category: green freight volume. In an ideal world, this will bring the company revenue growth even as total freight volume slows. As such, customers will have to pay more while end consumers need to be satisfied with two T-shirts for €25 euros each instead of five for €10, because less transport equals less CO₂ and less consumption. If this “less transport” is green and paid for accordingly, DB Schenker will be able to stay in good shape – and hopefully the planet will too. Schön stresses that “companies that contin-ue to act in a way that seriously harms the environment are most at risk of finding that their business models lack viability moving forward.” This scares off investors, who have long paid attention to green credentials. In the transport industry, this carries an additional physical risk: increased climate change equals increased weather extremes and increased interruption to transport routes as a result of flooded roads or fallen trees. All this means saving CO₂ is vital for DB Schenker. While the company itself actually only carries out around 10% of its transports, facilitating the other 90% externally, it still bears a responsibility for any resulting damage to the environment. This was set out in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a corporate standard for recording and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. At DB Schenker, transport is responsible for the majority of the company’s carbon footprint. Here, air freight is one of the primary culprits, accounting for nearly 60% of total CO₂ emissions despite the fact that the company only transports around 1.2 million metric tons Going live DB Schenker has over 50 e-cargo bikes in operation. The latest generation can transport deliveries of up to 200 kg. In May 2022 DB Schenker opened a sustainable freight terminal in Finland to cover the Tampere region – a major step in expanding its green distribution services in the country. Solar parks on wheels In around 5 years’ time, solar cells on truck tarpaulins could generate electrical energy, helping to power refrigeration units. 102 101 100 Green city centers FUSO eCanter trucks and e-vans are already on the road in Paris, France; Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Oslo, Norway. Thermal insulation Solar technology, geothermal energy and e-mobility infrastructure: thanks to state-of-the-art construction technology, the new land transport branch in Hamburg enjoys an exemplary environmental footprint. 104 103 Karsten Keller CFO at DB Schenker in Europe “ Using resources efficiently is the bare minimum for sustainability. 105 26 27
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