30 per cent less
How Tchibo reduces its shipping-related CO2 emissions.
One seventh of the CO2 emissions caused by humans can be attributed to traffic; lorries, aeroplanes and ships contribute significantly to climate change. Tchibo views having some products produced in distant countries as a matter of retaining a competitive edge. However, Tchibo is using a wide range of methods to protect the environment and keep CO2 emissions as low as possible.
In 2006, our shipments resulted in emissions of approximately 128,500 tonnes of CO2. This is good in comparison to other companies operating on a global scale – but not good enough for us. By 2015, we want to lower our shipping-related CO2 emissions by 30 per cent on the 2006 level. In the last few years, we have made considerable progress on the journey towards this aim: In 2010, our emissions were already down by 26 per cent, and the “LOTOS” project is helping us to close the remaining gap.
LOTOS – Project for sustainable transport of goods
The abbreviation LOTOS stands for “Logistics towards Sustainability”. Within this project, we have closely examined our shipping routes and the vehicles we use with the support of the University of Technology Hamburg-Harburg and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment. Our initial aim was to identify starting points for systematic and efficient environmental protection strategies; in the second stage, these findings were integrated into concrete measures to prevent CO2 emissions.
On the road or at sea: We avoid CO2 wherever we can
While establishing the as-is situation, we identified our road and water shipping routes as prime targets to cut emissions. For example, HGVs make up only a small part of our total shipping volume, yet they account for 21 per cent of our transport-related CO2 emissions. We complete about 95 per cent of our goods transport by water, which makes up about three quarters of our transport-related CO2 emissions. In order to attain our ambitious climate goals, we need to tackle these values and drive further improvements.
Reducing CO2 emissions from shipping – A few examples
How do we plan to achieve this? The LOTOS project’s findings will be implemented through concrete measures across all of our shipping routes.
Road: In past years, we have used HGVs exclusively reserved for us to transport goods from warehouses to sales points; now we are setting up combined loads in most delivery areas. If an HGV drives to a shopping centre, for example, the cargo will include products from other companies as well as from Tchibo. Overall, we are shortening our road transport routes and steering clear of climate-damaging CO2 emissions in the process.
Sea routes: We have established a precise schedule for our shipping traffic, which means we can afford to reduce our speed. The concept is simple: the more slowly a cargo ship travels, the less fuel it uses and the less CO2 it releases.
- Rail: We have decided to keep the proportion of our goods transported by rail constant and not to shift transport to roads, even though this would help to reduce transport expenses. We are also continuously assessing whether further shifts from road to rail shipping are possible and reasonable.
CO2 emissions resulting from Tchibo product shipping (2008-2010), not adjusted for quantity
Percentage of CO2 emissions for each mode of shipping resulting from the transport of Tchibo products (2010)
