DB Schenker, Lufthansa Cargo, and Nokia team up to reduce carbon emissions

Logistics services provider DB Schenker, Lufthansa Cargo, and IT and consumer electronics firm Nokia are joining forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions this winter, forming a partnership to utilize carbon-neutral air freight between China and Europe.

As part of the deal, DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo are extending their weekly carbon-neutral flights between Frankfurt and Shanghai for the winter flight schedule, running through March 2022. The flights are powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Finnish energy company Neste. Nokia joins the partnership on the eve of the United Nations climate change summit, COP26, committing to use the carbon-neutral flight option to ship 10 tons of communications network equipment weekly from a production facility in Shanghai to its European hub in Tilburg, the Netherlands.

The agreement covers air and land transport from Shanghai to Tilburg, with the land transport portion utilizing biofuel as well. Fuels for both modes of transport are derived from renewable waste, such as cooking oil, according to the companies.

The partnership is part of a larger effort among all three companies to reduce emissions and create a greener supply chain.

“Investing in sustainable solutions is a top priority for us and a shared goal with our partners. We can only achieve our climate targets together,” Tommi Uitto, president of mobile networks at Nokia, said in a press announcement. “Innovation and working together across sectors are key to a greener supply chain. We constantly seek to reduce our transportation and logistics carbon footprint, and air cargo is a significant contributor. This collaboration to transport our 5G equipment on carbon-neutral flights is another important step.”