Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker are on track to save 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2020.

The two companies have already saved 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ after a five-year-long strategic partnership and are halfway toward their goal.

“As a logistics service provider, we bear a particular responsibility when it comes to planning and implementing our emissions-intensive transports,” said Andrea Dorothea Schön, in charge of climate protection and CO₂ controlling at DB Schenker. “Some 40 percent of all direct and indirect CO₂ emissions at DB Schenker result from air cargo. Therefore, it was and is important to us that we engage in environmental protection together with Lufthansa Cargo and achieve our climate protection goals.”

Bettina Jansen, head of environmental management at Lufthansa Cargo, the carrier’s freighter fleet of Boeing 777Fs and MD-11Fs only needs 1.89 litres of fuel on average to transport 100kg a distance of 100km.

“We are putting in an enormous effort to continuously reduce our fleet’s fuel consumption,” she said. “Our five new Boeing 777Fs are the most efficient freighters in their class. In addition to this, we are using particularly lightweight containers, polishing even our engine blades for maximum efficiency and driving the digitization of air cargo documents together with our partners. We are a forerunner in many areas and innovations will facilitate even further reductions in weight and consumption.”

In order to solidify their commitment to achieving their goal, Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker signed a carbon reduction agreement in 2015, according to the two companies.