Lufthansa Cargo offers customers CO2-neutral freight shipments

From now on, all Lufthansa Cargo customers can choose CO2-neutral transportation for their freight. The company offers not only the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) but also certified offset projects to avoid or compensate for the fossil CO2 emissions generated during air freight transport from the outset.

(Frankfurt/Main) The add-on service “Sustainable Choice” is available on all routes with a freighter segment, for all product groups and all customers worldwide. Customers can account for or report the corresponding CO2 emissions proportionally in their own CO2 balance.

“For air freight transportation, we aim for 100 percent CO2 neutrality. However, we will only achieve this ambitious goal together with our customers. Therefore, we are very pleased to now offer everyone an opportunity to contribute to reducing their own CO2 footprint,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. “In recent months, we have observed an increasing demand for Sustainable Aviation Fuel. These inquiries confirm that the use of sustainable aviation fuels is an essential component for climate neutrality in air freight.”

Two options for sustainability

Lufthansa Cargo currently offers two options for more sustainable shipments. When using Sustainable Aviation Fuel, a certain amount of sustainable biofuel is blended with conventional kerosene, thereby avoiding fossil CO2 emissions that would normally occur during the combustion of conventional kerosene. Additionally, further CO2 emissions that arise, for example, during the production and transport of SAF are offset through compensation with environmentally friendly climate protection projects. The complete CO2 neutrality of a freight shipment can be achieved either by combining both options or through 100 percent compensation in climate protection projects.

Calculate CO2 footprint during booking

Even during the booking process, customers can use a CO2 calculator to determine the CO2 footprint for each shipment flying with Lufthansa Cargo. Possible routes can be compared in terms of their CO2 emissions. Customers can then choose to have their freight transported CO2-neutrally for an additional fee as part of their booking. The Sustainable Choice service also includes the option for customers to create a CO2 report summarizing all CO2 emissions of their transported shipments afterward. The report includes, among other things, the total CO2 emissions and a breakdown by mode of transport. Through such a CO2 report, customers can also compensate for CO2 emissions after completed freight transports.

Reduce CO2 balance by half by 2030

In November 2020, Lufthansa Cargo conducted the first 100 percent CO2-neutral commercial freight flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai and back in collaboration with DB Schenker. Since April 2021, weekly CO2-neutral freighter connections between Frankfurt and Shanghai have also been available. The freight crane is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and actively promotes five selected sustainability goals, including “Climate Action.” Furthermore, Lufthansa Cargo supports the ambitious CO2 reduction targets of the Lufthansa Group: by 2030, the CO2 balance is to be reduced by half compared to 2019 – the freight airline is working to achieve this milestone even earlier. Long-term, climate neutrality is the common goal.

Lufthansa Cargo has long been working to keep its own CO2 footprint as small as possible. The company is investing significantly in continuous fleet modernization: by the end of 2021, Lufthansa Cargo will have completely converted its fleet to Boeing 777F freighters – the currently most modern and efficient freighter with the best environmental balance. To further reduce the carbon footprint of the fleet, all B777F aircraft will be equipped with Sharkskin technology starting in 2022. The innovative, sharkskin-inspired AeroSHARK film reduces the drag resistance of the aircraft in the air, thereby reducing fuel consumption.

Annual savings of 3,700 tons of kerosene

With this, the Lufthansa Cargo fleet can achieve annual savings of around 3,700 tons of kerosene or almost 11,700 tons of CO2 emissions. Since 2020, Lufthansa Cargo has also exclusively used lightweight containers in flight operations. The weight reduction on board is considered a significant influencing factor on the CO2 balance. In addition, Lufthansa Cargo established a global, company-wide environmental management system between 2008 and 2015, which takes all environmentally related processes into account and thus involves all employees worldwide. This was re-certified in 2020 according to the internationally recognized ISO standard. As part of this environmental management system, numerous measures have been successfully implemented in recent years, such as sourcing green electricity throughout the German-speaking region.

Photo: © Lufthansa Cargo