Sustainability is on the core of Air France KLM Martinair Cargo’s actions, with Air France and KLM having keen about it since the Nineties.
In decision to growing a trade plan and a separate sustainability plan, Air France KLM build sustainability on the core of its plan. This form balancing financial returns and customer pleasure with sustainability performance, and connecting americans and items globally in a sustainable manner.
“In gentle of overwhelming local climate study, the tangible effects of local climate trade, rising competition within the industry, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, now we dangle realised that there are limits to our planet, and that prompt action is mandatory if we want to continue to characteristic inner these limits,” Michiel Potjer, Strategic Sustainability Lead at AFKLMP Cargo, acknowledged.
“AFKLMP Cargo renewed its imaginative and prescient 2030: ‘to turn exact into a stride-setter in sustainable airfreight, while passionately handing over handiest-in-class customer expertise’. This suggests that handiest by taking accountability for our actions and cutting back our local climate impact, can we continue to exist successfully sooner or later,” Potjer persisted.
To blame roadmap
In 2022, the Air France KLM Neighborhood published its first Local climate Action Opinion. In it, they shared their local climate plan and the challenges of the aviation industry. The carrier’s ambitions had been validated by the Science Based completely mostly Targets initiative (SBTi), essentially centred round cutting back our shriek and indirect CO₂ emissions, which is giving them a transparent route in direction of 2030.
For the Vacation space Sustainability Roadmap, AFKLMP’s predominant target is to entire -30% emission reduction per RTK/km in 2030. They paddle two targets to support cease their predominant target: 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2030 and 64% of original technology airplane in 2028.
To reach this environmental ambition, they identified three levers: Rapid renewal, SAF and operational measures. Below is a major level figuring out of how we contribute to the Vacation space Sustainability Roadmap.
“As one in every of the leading airfreight carriers, now we dangle a predominant role in reshaping the industry. We dangle got in tips it our accountability to be on the forefront of a extra sustainable airfreight sector and, consequently, proceed our environmental transition,” Potjer explained.
“Nonetheless, pondering the challenges we face in this laborious to abate sector, we also see that there would possibly be not any silver bullet resolution to abate the sector’s 2050 footprint reduction pathway. We are section of a advanced ecosystem challenging heaps of stakeholders,” he added. “We recognise that cutting back our environmental footprint just will not be a standalone endeavour; we must confront environmental challenges in end collaboration with our ecosystem companions.”
AFKLMP currently announced a firm dispute of four A350F for AF and 4 A350F for KL to interchange its freighter instant. The A350F will replace the present Boeing 747 freighters from the 2nd half of 2026.
“The four A350Fs emit over 40% much less CO₂ and abolish 50% much less noise than their predecessors. Subsequent to our FF instant replace plans, we obtain pleasure from the AF and KL airlines instant renewal thought (64% of original technology airplane) to prick our belly freighter capacity footprint and the final Passenger/KM, RTK/km,” Potjer acknowledged.
Focal point on fuel
In 2020, AFKLMP Cargo presented the Cargo SAF Programme. Since then, over 100+ companions dangle invested in its SAF Programme. The programme permits forwarders and shippers to fuel their flights with a proportion of SAF.
Possibilities pick their enjoy contribution diploma while they abolish paddle that the investment is fully utilised to aquire SAF. When investing in SAF, clients get an independently licensed sage specifying the quantity of SAF purchased by manner of web shriek traffic volume, giving a demonstration of the following reduction in CO₂ emissions. 365 days-to-date, the Cargo SAF Programme accounts for 50% of the entire voluntary Company Industrial vs. Cargo SAF programmes supplied by the community.
In 2022, they presented the goSAF ancillary of their MyCargo booking platform. With goSAF, clients the use of the myCargo booking portal can role the diploma of their contribution to SAF for every shipment.
“We give clients a bunch of four contribution stages, which is ready to permit them to proportionally prick 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 within the acquisition of SAF,” Potjer outlined. “We peep that clients from a diffusion of geographical areas are attracted to the goSAF ancillary because it’s a somewhat low entry diploma for them to lift half and contribute to the usage of SAF.”
In 2022, AFKLMP took the initiative to add a venerable proportion of SAF (0.5%) to all flights departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This proportion used to be increased to 1.5% in 2023, with further will increase planned for 2024 and the long bustle years. Even despite the incontrovertible fact that this proportion would possibly per chance well appear microscopic, it’s a necessary step within the apt route.
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Operational footprint
“At AFKLMP Cargo, we creep away no stone unturned after we dangle a examine our operational lever to prevail in our overall target. We dangle got two sub-targets for our operations: 50% non-recycled waste by 2030 vs 2011 and Zero emissions floor operations by 2030,” Potjer acknowledged. “The handiest manner to dispute the operational measures we’re taking to prick our operational footprint at cargo is by following the cargo handling process.”
AFKLMP is imposing paperless handling (E-AWB). Truck drivers handiest dangle to scan a circulate. Right here is since the records has already been uploaded into the digital eLink blueprint by forwarders, which saves heaps of paper and time. Goods are an increasing number of delivered on plastic and carton pallets as a replace of wooden pallets. They are also slowly imposing plastic pallets because they closing longer and don’t amplify the burden of the airplane as noteworthy as wooden pallets. A lighter airplane manner much less fuel consumption, which in turn finally ends up in fewer CO2 emissions.
AFKLMP’s entire warehouse operation runs on electricity, which they hope to generate by themselves.
As soon as the cargo is ready for transport, it’s driven to the airstrip by MULAG vehicles. They’ve started a pilot arrangement, so a couple of of them bustle on HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), which is a low carbon fuel. The MULAGs will within the shatter bustle on HVO, hydrogen and electricity, however the latter is extra seemingly longer timeframe because a MULAG carries as a lot as 30,000kg per outing, so it desires extra energy than most electric vehicles for the time being present. They are also an increasing number of keen about optimising the cargo load by imposing efficient cargo load planning.
Trucking will most seemingly be a necessary facet of their network, and they recognise that they also dangle to prick its footprint. AFKLMP has presented initiatives adore an all-electric truck for use as a shuttle within the Paris home, and the usage of long Heavy Car (LHV) on the route between Amsterdam and Frankfurt. This fully original truck mixture runs on BioFuel – Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil 100 (HVO100).
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Altering expectations
AFKLMP exists to support forwarders and shippers transport a extensive collection of items to all corners of the globe. Over the closing couple of years, they dangle seen colossal adjustments in customer expectations by manner of their merchandise and products and companies, essentially propelled by technology and an increasing number of by sustainability.
“Possibilities peaceable dangle in tips AFKLMP Cargo to be a stride-setter within the air cargo industry by manner of network, expertise, merchandise and products and companies. We dangle got to abolish particular and transparent selections: while we meet industry requirements referring to our network, merchandise and operational quality, we aim to outperform our opponents within the subject of (digital) distribution,” Potjer acknowledged.
“Turning in handiest-in-class customer experiences day-to-day is a in point of fact indispensable in differentiating ourselves. In other words, we build our clients on the centre of what we invent and foster long-timeframe relationships. Buyer commitments are on the core of our trade: abolish meaningful connections, via reliability, expertise, innovation, flexibility, and empowerment,” he persisted.
AFKLMP recognises that the airfreight industry performs a necessary role in world trade. Historically, airfreight has presented opportunities however with out a doubt also challenges, pondering the provision and ask dynamics with unstable job stages. No matter the drastic fall on our passenger facet, impacting cargo belly capacity on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the job stages of the aviation sector are rebounding faster than expected and continue to develop. The rising ask for affords and items is predicted to drive industrial ask, thus boosting airfreight utilisation.
“Flying brings americans and companies together, connecting cultures and engrossing a in point of fact indispensable items around the sector however we also realise that the airfreight sector contributes to an rising CO2 footprint and faces a sphere project as a laborious-to-abate sector,” Potjer acknowledged.
Aviation is grappling with necessary challenges in cutting back CO2 emissions. Regulatory and customer pressures are mounting for shippers, forwarders, and carriers to embrace decarbonisation, yet prices live high. The willingness to pay falls attempting covering decarbonisation bills, preserving the market immature. No matter initial momentum in some unspecified time in the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with the adoption of SAF, the industry now faces hesitation from stakeholders on account of returning yield stages. On the identical time, an rising collection of shippers, forwarders, and carriers are growing sustainability roadmaps or atmosphere scope 3 targets for 2030. Many discussions centre on these roadmaps and the role of SAF within them. Nonetheless, we allotment a collective accountability to lift concrete actions on the present time, come in direction of extra ragged alternatives and abolish paddle consistent actions within the airfreight industry for 2030 and past.
The airfreight industry is a advanced ecosystem challenging many stakeholders. By working together, AFKLMP sees itself as being ready to catalyse, proceed, and rework the industry, contributing to and setting up a extra sustainable airfreight sector.
