Hamburg Süd Sustainability Manager Niklas Witte explains how you can certifiably decarbonise your supply chain with our new ECO Delivery product.

How does ECO Delivery work?

From now on, ECO Delivery will enable our customers to use biofuels for ocean freight shipments. If you opt for this product, a surcharge will be added that is calculated based on the route and type of container. One hundred per cent of this surcharge is then invested in sustainable, low-carbon biofuel from waste resources, which is fed into our network. In this way, we are demonstrably improving the carbon footprint of our supply chain, because when biofuels are combusted, only as much CO₂ is released as was previously taken out of the atmosphere.

Who is this new offer geared towards?

ECO Delivery is a good fit for all customers who want to improve their carbon footprint effectively and verifiably. This can start with just a single container and be scaled as desired. You can also book the ECO Delivery product for only a portion of your overall volume.

Will my contribution to climate-protection efforts be documented?

Yes, at the end of the year, you will receive an independently verified certificate stating the amount of CO₂ emissions you have saved by opting for ECO Delivery transports. This allows you to credibly document and display your commitment to your partners and customers.

How is ECO Delivery different from the products of other providers?

Some competitors are offering offsetting, which means that CO₂ emissions are compensated for using measures elsewhere – usually through reforestation. We believe that preventing CO₂ emissions is better than offsetting them. Others are focusing on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Maersk – and therefore Hamburg Süd – has opted not to follow this path because LNG is a fossil fuel. In other words, it produces significant greenhouse gas emissions not only when being combusted, but also when being produced. But since this isn’t the case with biofuel, we are convinced that this is the better path to follow.

From which raw materials can biofuel be obtained?

We use biofuel from waste resources, such as used cooking oil. Some competitors are using fuels based on soya, rapeseed or even palm oil. But we don’t want that because producing palm oil, in particular, is frequently problematic from an ecological point of view with respect to rainforests. We also don’t use raw materials that could be consumed as food. Used cooking oil, on the other hand, has traditionally been treated as waste. But once it has been purified and processed, it can be used very well as fuel. In addition, we are constantly examining other natural raw materials that come into question. But it has to make both ecological and economic sense.

Niklas Witte (31) has been the Sustainability Manager at Hamburg Süd since August 2021. After earning degrees in international business as well as economics for natural resource and environmental management, he previously worked in biofuel development, sales and sustainability consulting.

Would you like to learn more about sustainable transports with ECO Delivery? Then visit our website.

Contact

Niklas Witte, Sustainability Manager
Niklas Witte
Sustainability Manager