SAF helps Mercedes-Benz cut carbon emissions from logistics by 11,000 tons in 1 year

Photo: Kuehne+Nagel

As a long-standing airfreight partner of Mercedes-Benz, Kuehne+Nagel has also been supporting Mercedes-Benz’s logistics chains to the United States since 2019, for example for the plant in Alabama.

For over a year, sustainable fuels have been used in this strategic partnership in the area of transport logistics.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is used for the vehicle manufacturer’s air-freight transport, thus, actively supporting Mercedes-Benz in the decarbonization of its supply chain.

Thanks to the use of SAF, Mercedes-Benz has been able to reduce around 11,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions in the past 12 months, in comparison to only using conventional fuels.

SAF was used on charter flights with Kuehne+Nagel’s own Boeing 747-8F cargo aircraft Inspire on the route from Stuttgart, Germany, to Birmingham, Alabama.

“Our vision of becoming the most trusted logistics partner for a sustainable future by 2030 means that, as an industry leader, we take our responsibility to support our customers in reducing their CO2 emissions seriously,” said Heiko Schuhmacher, the senior vice president of global air logistics at Kuehne+Nagel.

“We are proud that this pilot project has developed into a long-term collaboration in the spirit of decarbonization with a strong partner,” Schuhmacher added.

Mercedes-Benz and Kuehne+Nagel have set a goal of avoiding and actively reducing emissions in transport logistics.

“Transport logistics is a key part of the automotive value chain,” said Jörg Burzer with Mercedes-Benz Group.

“By using sustainable aviation fuel for air-freight transport, we can reduce emissions along our value chain and take an important step towards net-carbon neutrality,” Burzer said. “We are delighted to reach another milestone in sustainable logistics together with our partner Kuehne+Nagel.”

Switzerland-based Kuehne+Nagel has over 80,000 employees at almost 1,300 sites in close to 100 countries and is the logistics partner of choice for 400,000 customers worldwide.