Sustainability is at the core of Air France KLM Martinair Cargo’s activities, with Air France and KLM having enthusiastic about it since the Nineties.
Rather then developing a commerce draw and a separate sustainability draw, Air France KLM set apart sustainability at the core of its draw. This arrangement balancing monetary returns and buyer pride with sustainability efficiency, and connecting contributors and goods globally in a sustainable manner.
“In light of overwhelming climate compare, the tangible effects of climate change, rising competition in the commerce, and the affect of the COVID-19 pandemic, we now maintain realised that there are limits to our planet, and that instant motion is obligatory if we want to proceed to operate inner these limits,” Michiel Potjer, Strategic Sustainability Lead at AFKLMP Cargo, acknowledged.
“AFKLMP Cargo renewed its vision 2030: ‘to develop into a slouch-setter in sustainable airfreight, whereas passionately delivering most sensible-in-class buyer expertise’. This implies that most sensible by taking responsibility for our actions and decreasing our climate affect, can we proceed to exist efficiently in the long run,” Potjer endured.
Guilty roadmap
In 2022, the Air France KLM Team printed its first Native weather Motion Thought. In it, they shared their climate draw and the challenges of the aviation commerce. The carrier’s ambitions were validated by the Science Based mostly Targets initiative (SBTi), basically centred around decreasing our issue and indirect CO₂ emissions, which is giving them a particular direction in direction of 2030.
For the Vacation space Sustainability Roadmap, AFKLMP’s main target is to end -30% emission low cost per RTK/km in 2030. They sure two targets to help end their main target: 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030 and 64% of unique expertise aircraft in 2028.
To reach this environmental ambition, they known three levers: Rapid renewal, SAF and operational measures. Underneath is an overview of how we make contributions to the Vacation space Sustainability Roadmap.
“As one in every of the leading airfreight carriers, we now maintain a huge role in reshaping the commerce. We preserve in ideas it our responsibility to be at the forefront of a more sustainable airfreight sector and, in consequence, hurry our environmental transition,” Potjer outlined.
“Nonetheless, inquisitive in regards to the challenges we face on this spirited to abate sector, we also behold that there is rarely any silver bullet solution to abate the sector’s 2050 footprint low cost pathway. We are segment of a complicated ecosystem intelligent a huge selection of stakeholders,” he added. “We recognise that decreasing our environmental footprint is no longer a standalone endeavour; we must confront environmental challenges in shut collaboration with our ecosystem companions.”
AFKLMP no longer too prolonged ago announced a firm repeat of 4 A350F for AF and 4 A350F for KL to interchange its freighter snappy. The A350F will replace the most trendy Boeing 747 freighters from the 2nd half of 2026.
“The four A350Fs emit over 40% much less CO₂ and carry out 50% much less noise than their predecessors. Subsequent to our FF snappy replace plans, we snatch pleasure in the AF and KL airlines snappy renewal notion (64% of unique expertise aircraft) to in the low cost of our abdominal freighter means footprint and the total Passenger/KM, RTK/km,” Potjer acknowledged.
Concentrate on fuel
In 2020, AFKLMP Cargo presented the Cargo SAF Programme. Since then, over 100+ companions maintain invested in its SAF Programme. The programme enables forwarders and shippers to fuel their flights with a proportion of SAF.
Customers prefer their fetch contribution stage whereas they be sure the investment is fully utilised to aquire SAF. When investing in SAF, customers receive an independently certified chronicle specifying the volume of SAF purchased in phrases of traffic volume, giving an indication of the following low cost in CO₂ emissions. 300 and sixty five days-to-date, the Cargo SAF Programme accounts for 50% of the total voluntary Company Industrial vs. Cargo SAF programmes equipped by the team.
In 2022, they presented the goSAF ancillary of their MyCargo booking platform. With goSAF, customers the issue of the myCargo booking portal can scheme the stage of their contribution to SAF for every shipment.
“We give customers a different of 4 contribution stages, which is ready to enable them to proportionally in the low cost of their contribution to CO₂ emissions when booking. The underlying CO₂ emissions calculator determines the expected CO₂ emissions of the shipment and calculates the prices of compensating for this by investing in the acquisition of SAF,” Potjer outlined. “We gape that customers from a wide selection of geographical areas are drawn to the goSAF ancillary since it’s a gorgeous low entry stage for them to participate and make contributions to the usage of SAF.”
In 2022, AFKLMP took the initiative so that you can add a earlier proportion of SAF (0.5%) to all flights departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This proportion used to be elevated to 1.5% in 2023, with extra will enhance deliberate for 2024 and the years yet to attract support. Although this proportion can also simply seem limited, it’s an predominant step in the becoming direction.
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Operational footprint
“At AFKLMP Cargo, we drag away no stone unturned after we take a study our operational lever to reach our total target. We maintain now two sub-targets for our operations: 50% non-recycled discontinuance by 2030 vs 2011 and Zero emissions ground operations by 2030,” Potjer stated. “The particular manner to verbalize the operational measures we’re taking to in the low cost of our operational footprint at cargo is by following the cargo dealing with direction of.”
AFKLMP is imposing paperless dealing with (E-AWB). Truck drivers most sensible want to scan a drag. Here is since the information has already been uploaded into the digital eLink system by forwarders, which saves quite deal of paper and time. Items are increasingly delivered on plastic and carton pallets in preference to wood pallets. They are also slowly imposing plastic pallets because they final longer and don’t lift the burden of the plane as powerful as wood pallets. A lighter plane arrangement much less fuel consumption, which in turn ends up in fewer CO2 emissions.
AFKLMP’s total warehouse operation runs on electricity, which they hope to generate by themselves.
As soon as the cargo is ready for transport, it’s pushed to the airstrip by MULAG vehicles. They’ve began a pilot blueprint, so some of them speed on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), which is a low carbon fuel. The MULAGs will at final speed on HVO, hydrogen and electricity, nonetheless the latter is more likely longer term because a MULAG carries up to 30,000kg per time out, so it wants more vitality than most electric vehicles presently provide. They are also increasingly enthusiastic about optimising the cargo load by imposing efficient cargo load planning.
Trucking would possibly maybe be an predominant side of their community, and they recognise that in addition they want to in the low cost of its footprint. AFKLMP has presented initiatives cherish an all-electric truck for issue as a shuttle in the Paris space, and the usage of prolonged Heavy Automobile (LHV) on the route between Amsterdam and Frankfurt. This fully unique truck aggregate runs on BioFuel – Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil 100 (HVO100).
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Changing expectations
AFKLMP exists to help forwarders and shippers transport a immense likelihood of goods to all corners of the globe. All the arrangement by arrangement of the final couple of years, they maintain seen immense adjustments in buyer expectations by manner of their merchandise and products and services, basically propelled by expertise and increasingly by sustainability.
“Customers aloof preserve in ideas AFKLMP Cargo to be a slouch-setter in the air cargo commerce in phrases of community, expertise, merchandise and products and services. We maintain now to carry out particular and transparent picks: whereas we meet commerce standards when it comes to our community, merchandise and operational quality, we impartial to outperform our opponents in the discipline of (digital) distribution,” Potjer acknowledged.
“Delivering most sensible-in-class buyer experiences day-to-day is key in differentiating ourselves. In diversified phrases, we set apart our customers at the centre of what we produce and foster prolonged-term relationships. Buyer commitments are at the core of our commerce: carry out important connections, by arrangement of reliability, expertise, innovation, flexibility, and empowerment,” he endured.
AFKLMP recognises that the airfreight commerce performs an predominant role in world commerce. Historically, airfreight has presented opportunities nonetheless completely also challenges, inquisitive in regards to the provide and quiz dynamics with volatile assignment stages. No matter the drastic drop on our passenger side, impacting cargo abdominal means as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, the assignment stages of the aviation sector are rebounding sooner than expected and proceed to develop. The rising quiz for materials and goods is anticipated to pressure industrial quiz, thus boosting airfreight utilisation.
“Flying brings contributors and businesses together, connecting cultures and curious wanted goods around the enviornment nonetheless we also realise that the airfreight sector contributes to an rising CO2 footprint and faces a sphere impart of affairs as a spirited-to-abate sector,” Potjer acknowledged.
Aviation is grappling with important challenges in decreasing CO2 emissions. Regulatory and buyer pressures are mounting for shippers, forwarders, and carriers to embody decarbonisation, yet bills stay high. The willingness to pay falls short of covering decarbonisation bills, keeping the market immature. No matter initial momentum all the arrangement by arrangement of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with the adoption of SAF, the commerce now faces hesitation from stakeholders due to returning yield stages. On the the same time, an rising selection of shippers, forwarders, and carriers are developing sustainability roadmaps or environment scope 3 targets for 2030. Many discussions centre on these roadmaps and the role of SAF within them. Nonetheless, we share a collective responsibility to take hold of concrete actions right this moment time, draw toward more passe solutions and carry out sure constant actions in the airfreight commerce for 2030 and beyond.
The airfreight commerce is a complicated ecosystem intelligent many stakeholders. By working together, AFKLMP sees itself as being ready to catalyse, hurry, and remodel the commerce, contributing to and rising a more sustainable airfreight sector.
