We drive sustainability

We define sustainability as the careful use of resources designed for natural regeneration. Thus, sustainability is one of the most important factors for economic stability and long-term growth. We understand resources to include both internal production factors (human, social and financial capital) and external production factors (goods, raw materials). Hence, we respect and ensure compliance with social and ethical standards (labour and human rights), and are committed to environmentally-aware procurement. This is confirmed by the annual certification by the EcoVadis rating platform.

As an internationally active logistics and family-owned business, we are well-aware of our social responsibility. The topic of sustainability is therefore a central pillar of our company’s philosophy. Our motto is “Actions speak louder than words”; this is why we do not stipulate rigid concepts, but deliberately focus on a flexible approach which also facilitates the implementation of business-specific initiatives. Innovative projects in our individual units can thus be implemented quickly and flexibly and generate immediate added value. We present information on the subject of sustainability in such a way that every employee can access it. In so doing, we ensure that green thinking is firmly established throughout the entire company. In addition, we pursue a continuous improvement process in order to consistently advance the resource-saving realisation of our services. Our intention is to develop efficient and ecologically sensible logistics solutions for our customers and partners.  

Our company is organised in a decentralised manner and there are very different requirements in each of the 18 business units in which we operate. We therefore do not dictate the strategic orientation strictly from above, but deliberately allow the individual units room to manoeuver; this also applies to the issue of sustainability. Here, we rely on a broadly diversified approach with a variety of solutions.  We leave the implementation of the sustainability concepts to our respective units. However, what we all do have in common is that we are all dedicated to green thinking.

We are of the opinion that sustainable logistics and economic activity are not mutually exclusive. Quite the contrary, in fact. In the long term, we want to combine the effects of the individual projects in the various business areas so as to be able to offer our customers the most sustainable transport and supply chain possible. For this reason, we have launched numerous projects which reduce the company’s global emissions and improve its energy record. For example, we take care to ensure that sustainable construction and innovative technologies are used on our logistics properties. In addition, we use alternative drive technologies for the various modes of transport and also develop multimodal logistics solutions. 

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges faced by modern society. As an international, multimodal transport and logistics service provider, we feel we have a particular responsibility. We want to do justice to this, together with our customers and partners, and are therefore very committed to sustainable and environmentally-aware logistics.

We are active in 18 different business units, each of which presents its own individual and special challenges. We encounter these requirements with a decentralised orientation of the company which enables our individual units to make largely independent decisions. The topic of sustainability is also multifaceted and this is why we decided to search for a variety of solutions.

We will permanently give the issue of sustainability high priority and will continually examine what contribution we can make to green logistics. To this end, we constantly monitor which technological and structural innovations are available. An exchange of information about this takes place on all levels, and between all of our units. From this, we derive more projects which contribute to the careful use of natural resources. In order to be able to put new approaches into practice, we not only provide financial and personnel resources for research projects, but also for the further development of sustainability in operative business.

As an international logistics company, we find ourselves in a dichotomy. On the one hand, the transport sector is largely responsible for the consumption of natural resources and the emission of climate-damaging gases. On the other hand, logistics services are absolutely systematically relevant for modern society. However, we firmly believe that economic efficiency and sustainable logistics are not mutually exclusive and we therefore emphatically pursue the goals of reducing our own CO2 emissions and of creating transparent transport and storage solutions for our customers. To this end, we opt, wherever possible, for renewable energies, alternative drive technologies and multimodal transport solutions.

Collaboration with research institutions and involvement in scientific projects are important elements of our company strategy. One of the objectives is to make the global supply chain more sustainable. To achieve this, we are on the lookout for green ideas and new technologies, together with partners and customers, which will help the company progress further in this respect. The versatile fields of activity and the financial resources available mean that we are able to be extensively involved in a wide range of activities in this area. 

We want to reduce the CO2 emissions derived from our operations and to make global supply chains more sustainable. However, this can only be achieved together with our partners and customers. Wherever possible, we pass the positive effects achieved on to our customers. In addition, we show them at which points in their supply chain they can positively contribute to sustainability.