Nokia commits to using world’s only freighter flight running on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel to move communications network equipment from Shanghai to the Netherlands.
DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo will extend their weekly CO2-free freighter flights between Frankfurt and Shanghai, with Nokia signing up to the initiative to use the world’s only freighter flight running on 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) produced from renewable waste, such as used cooking oils.
Over the next five months, Nokia will be shipping a weekly freight volume of 10 tonnes of communications network equipment from a production facility in Shanghai to its European hub in Tilburg in the Netherlands.
This shipment is entirely covered by SAF to reduce 100% of carbon emissions during the life cycle, avoiding any offsetting. The end-to-end agreement with DB Schenker covers both the air and land transport of the goods from Shanghai to Tilburg. All land transport elements will be covered utilising another advanced type of biofuel, hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).
Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said:“Investing in sustainable solutions is a top priority for us and a shared goal with our partners. 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.”
Launched in 2020
The announcement follows DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo’s launch of the world’s first CO2-neutral freighter rotation between Europe and Asia in November 2020. Starting with the summer flight schedule in April 2021, a regular freighter line connection was brought to the market.
Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker:“The ambitious team goal of climate neutrality affects every business and how our customers look at their footprint also in their supply chains. Together with Lufthansa Cargo, we extend our unique offer of a regular carbon-neutral flight connection. The SAF full charter flight rotation is a game-changer as it goes beyond a pay-per-use scheme. We are pleased to have Nokia on board as a new major customer for our westbound flights. Together, we can avoid CO2 and take another step towards a more sustainable future.”
The SAF for this collaboration is entirely produced from waste and residue raw materials, for example from used cooking oils. The CO2 released during combustion in the engine, is only the CO2 which was removed from the atmosphere during the photosynthesis phase of the plants that were utilised to produce the oils. Currently, SAF is around three times more expensive than conventional fossil kerosene.
The greenhouse gas emissions during the production and transport of the fuel are fully compensated with certified offset projects, ensuring the complete greenhouse gas neutrality of the flights. Alternatively, the customer may go for a full inset solution – as chosen by Nokia for their freight. This is by far the most sustainable option currently on the market. It is an actual “carbon zero” solution.
Source: Lloyd’s
