As part of a campaign with Lufthansa to make its air cargo operations more sustainable, German logistics company DB Schenker has announced that customers now have the option to choose Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for ‘all flights to all airports’.
Chief Executive of DB Schenker Jochen Thewes explained: “We have purchased massive volumes of biofuel to push the decarbonisation of our industry. Customers of DB Schenker can now virtually book SAF on all trade lanes to thousands of airports.”
DB Schenker claims to have purchased over 11,000 tons of SAF this year. The company believes that this could cut CO2 emissions by up to 100%.
SAF uses waste materials such as used frying oil to fuel aircraft without the need for fossil fuels. When processed, these materials have a similar chemical structure to traditional fuel and because of this, SAF is suitable to replace or supplement jet fuel as a green alternative.
However, as Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air and Ocean Freight at DB Schenker, noted: “sustainability comes with a price.” At the moment, SAF can be three to five times more expensive than regular fossil fuels.
It remains to be seen whether the current high price of the SAF will deter DB Schenker customers from opting for this alternative. With so much pressure to reduce carbon emissions in supply chains, it might just be a price firms are willing to pay.
