Nippon Express Europe, Lufthansa Cargo sign SAF agreement

Photo: Lufthansa Cargo

Nippon Express Europe GmbH and Lufthansa Cargo contractually agreed June 20 to advocate the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) when transporting airfreight shipments.

The environmentally friendly aviation fuel will enable the Nippon Express Group to achieve emissions savings of approximately 3,150 tons within one year.

Furthermore, the agreement reached with Lufthansa Cargo includes contributing to high-quality and certified climate-protection projects for the so-called well-to-tank emissions that arise during the production and supply of SAF.

The Nippon Express Group has set the goal of a 50 percent reduction in scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2013 as a response to climate change, and of contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

Nippon Express Co. Ltd. aims to reduce emissions by 350,000 tons by 2023, equivalent to a 30 percent reduction from 2013 levels.

In May, Nippon Express Holdings Inc. submitted a letter of commitment to be certified as a Science Based Targets company.

“We have enjoyed a trusting longstanding relationship with Nippon Express Europe as a global partner,” said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. “We appreciate working jointly with Nippon Express Europe also on sustainability goals that are important to both of us. Every player in the logistics industry has a model here, and only together can we succeed in making our business more environmentally friendly along the entire supply chain. The more SAF is used in the transportation of goods by air freight, the more likely we are to succeed in moving away from fossil fuels, making the entire airfreight industry more sustainable.”

Shinichi Kakiyama, managing director of Nippon Express Europe, added, “We at the Nippon Express Group remain mindful of the environmental effect of the increasing demand for air freight. We fully acknowledge this reality, and we must move quickly to take action to slow global warming. This agreement to advocate using SAF represents a step in the right direction on the way to a greener future. Together with Lufthansa Cargo, we are honored to embark on this journey to meet our sustainability goals and fulfill our ongoing commitment to combat climate change.”

Lufthansa Cargo is committed to the United Nations’ sustainable-development goals and is actively advancing five selected sustainability goals, including climate action.

The cargo airline also supports the Lufthansa Group’s ambitious CO2-reduction targets: the aviation group aims to halve net CO2 emissions by as early as 2030 compared to 2019.

To this end, the Lufthansa Group is pursuing a clearly defined reduction path that has been validated by the so-called Science Based Target initiative.

This makes the Lufthansa Group the first airline group in Europe with a scientifically based CO2-reduction target in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015.