DB Schenker and Porsche Motorsport will take an important step toward climate neutrality by launching a global demonstration tour for the electrically powered GT4 e-Performance race car prototype. DB Schenker has organized a complete sustainable logistics solution for the electric race car’s trip around the world, which will include stops at select racing locations. Among other things, only the most environmentally friendly modes of transport will be used for the tour, which will cover a total of 13,000 kilometres. The GT4 e-Performance Tour will kick off at the end of January with the legendary GP Ice Race in Zell am See in Austria. After that, the electric race cars will be transported in a sustainable manner by ship, rail, and trucks to other events in Europe, the U.S., and Asia.

Both DB Schenker and Porsche have firmly incorporated sustainability aspects into their corporate strategies. For example, the international logistics service provider has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s leading provider of green logistics solutions and is thus the ideal partner for the Porsche GT4 e-Performance Tour.

“This partnership is enabling us to take a major step forward together on the road to green mobility – we’re very much looking forward to addressing this challenge, and we have the right solutions to ensure we’ll be successful,” says DB Schenker CEO Jochen Thewes. “During the tour, we will be able to highlight the progress we’ve made with the development of environmentally friendly transport and logistics solutions around the world.”

The customized logistics solution for the GT4 e-Performance Tour includes environmentally friendly and emission-free rail transport of the concept vehicles, as well as transport with all-electric trucks and ships powered by marine biofuels. The latter mainly consist of fuels made with used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME). DB Schenker plans to use its position as a partner for the tour to get new target groups interested in green logistics.

“We’re very happy that we were able to get DB Schenker onboard as a partner for our motorsports logistics,” says Barbara Frenkel, member of the Porsche Executive Board, with responsibility for Procurement, and also a co-initiator of the sports car manufacturer’s sustainability strategy.

“Together, we want to generate additional momentum for sustainability and sustainable solutions. Porsche has an ambitious sustainability strategy that we are implementing together with our suppliers. We are now taking steps to make our value chain carbon-neutral on balance by 2030, and this also includes ensuring a carbon-neutral service life on balance for future battery-electric models.”

Prototype for all-electric customer motorsports

The GT4 e-Performance will offer Porsche the possibility to provide customers with a motorsports option with all-electric race cars in the future. The strategy here makes use of the technology components in the IAA Mission R concept car, which Porsche presented in 2021 as a vision for the future, but which the company has now made a reality. The vehicle’s body is made of, among other things, composite materials based on natural fibers. The prototype, which is not for sale, will be presented for fans and potential customer teams around the world to marvel at during the tour. However, the electric race car will also collect valuable data during the tour, which will enable Porsche to gain new knowledge for use in the future – and not only for motorsports.

The global tour will begin with the prestigious GP Ice Race in Zell am See from January 27-29, 2023. After that, it will move on to the U.S., where the innovative concept vehicle will take part in the famous Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, as well as in other races. Then it’s on to the Asia-Pacific region for a series of events in the second half of the year.

DB Schenker’s stated goal: Clean logistics

As a pioneer in the field of innovative logistics solutions, DB Schenker has set itself the goal of becoming the world’s leading provider of green logistics services. The company continuously invests in renewable energy and environmentally friendly products for its customers in order to achieve its ambitious goal of ensuring climate neutrality by 2040. The company also plans to achieve complete sustainability transparency in 2023.

“We believe we have an obligation to continue our pioneering work and move ahead even further in the area of clean logistics – and ensure consistent and transparent communication in this regard as well,” says Thewes.  

About DB Schenker

With around 76,100 employees at more than 1,850 locations in over 130 countries,  DB Schenker is one of the world’s leading logistics service providers. The company operates land, air, and ocean transportation services, and it also offers comprehensive solutions for logistics and global supply chain management from a single source. DB Schenker is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2022. The company continuously invests in innovative transport solutions, renewable energy, and environmentally friendly products for its customers in order to achieve its ambitious goal of ensuring climate neutrality by 2040.

[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko has further confirmed its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by beginning the transition from diesel to greener fuel sources in its fuel management services.

The organisation’s ongoing phaseout is part of its pledge to cut the amount of the fossil fuel used by the organisation by 50% before 2030 and reduce local air quality emissions from its fleet by a similar figure. Specifically, Aggreko intends to phase out offering diesel with its fuel management services from April, instead solely providing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

The move is part of the global temporary equipment supplier’s ‘Greener Upgrades’ initiative, which also includes a multi-million-pound investment in new products and technologies, alongside alternative fuels.

Speaking on the switch, Chris Rason, Managing Director Aggreko Northern Europe, said: “The need to be sustainable has long shifted from a vague preference to an absolute priority for all businesses, and this sentiment continues to be reinforced through action.

“For example, at COP26, proposals have been floated to force UK firms how they will reach net zero targets set for 2050. However, despite this shift to a ‘prove it’ culture when it comes to decarbonisation, complacency and greenwashing sadly still remains at a time when organisations need to begin taking steps toward a greener future.

“It is for this reason why we have put great effort into developing efficient and sustainable technologies that can replace existing, polluting energy sources without disruption. This continued investment has allowed us to begin the transition from diesel to HVO for our fuel management systems, passing decarbonisation gains onto our customers while maintaining or improving equipment performance.”

Aggreko has previously trialled HVO as a ‘drop-in’ fuel in controlled conditions using its own generator fleet – a rarity in testing conditions – and demonstrated significant emissions benefits. Further scientific studies have also shown the fuel produces up to 90% less greenhouse emissions, including 33% lower levels of fine particulates compared to diesel. Alongside this, 30% less hydrocarbons and up to 9% fewer nitrogen oxides are produced, and the amount of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons produced was also reduced.

“It cannot be doubted that the transition to net zero will be difficult for all organisations, regardless of their place in the supply chain, and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,” Chris concludes. “However, this does not mean that businesses can stand still – far from it, in fact.

“By identifying areas in which pragmatic choices may be made for quick and effective sustainability gains, organisations can reduce the size of the challenge ahead. Opting for greener fuels is an excellent example of this, which is yet another reason why we have made this choice to transition our fuel management services onto HVO.”

To find out more about Aggreko’s new sustainability initiative, Greener Upgrades, click here.

Coldplay aims at reducing emissions related to their next world tour by 50 per cent, and to remove the remaining unavoidable emissions with a portfolio of carbon removal solutions.  
“Playing live and finding connection with people is ultimately why we exist as a band,” said Coldplay. 
“We’ve been planning this tour for years, and we’re super excited to play songs from across our whole time together. At the same time, we’re very conscious that the planet is facing a climate crisis. 
“So we’ve spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward. We won’t get everything right, but we’re committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn. It’s a work in progress and we’re really grateful for the help we’ve had so far.” 
Nature-based carbon removal solutions to be used include reforestation, soil restoration, rewilding, and blue carbon projects, such as seagrass meadow restoration. Other solutions include sustainable aviation fuels, and a direct air capture and storage solution from Climeworks – the only technological approach included. 
Christoph Gebald, co-CEO and co-founder of Climeworks said: “It is already proven that carbon removal at scale is a must on the current emissions pathway and technological solutions will be needed. 
“We are very inspired to see public figures like Coldplay seizing the magnitude of the challenge and acting boldly by working towards ambitious emissions reduction and removing the unavoidable part. Supporting them with our carbon dioxide removal service takes us one step closer to our vision of inspiring 1 billion people to remove CO2 from the air.” 
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, humanity needs to drastically reduce emissions (also called mitigation), which prevents new CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Historic and unavoidable emissions must also be removed from the air to achieve net-zero and net-negative emissions globally. 
According to Climeworks, some scientific studies indicate that by mid-century 10 billion tons of CO2 will need to be removed from the air every year to keep global warming in the line of the limits of the Paris Agreement.

[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko has cemented its position as a green supplier of temporary power, heating and cooling solutions after being certified to the Carbon Trust Standard and achieving certification to ISO 50001:2018 international standard for energy management.

By implementing ISO 50001, Aggreko has committed to reduce its energy consumption, minimise its carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy usage. This includes applying both internal and external guiding principles including the integration of energy reduction considerations and increasing fuel efficiency in our fleet and solutions offerings for its customers.

Replacing the Carbon & Energy Management and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS), the Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s leading independent certification of an organisation’s achievements in managing and reducing carbon emissions. By accrediting Aggreko to the Standard, the Carbon Trust has independently recognised the company as taking a best practice approach to achieving real year-on-year reductions.

As part of its commitment to both accrediting bodies, Aggreko will significantly reduce its power-related carbon emissions. With this pledge in mind, the company has also switched its electricity contract to 100% renewable electricity, with all annual electricity demand required to supply Aggreko’s Service Centres being generated by offshore wind generators.

Aggreko is also reducing carbon and energy use internally by reviewing its vehicle fleet, and has already taken steps to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions using vehicle tracking, driver training, more electric plug-in vehicles and work planning using technological innovations.

Furthermore, the company provides generators that work with alternative greener fuels such as natural gas, biofuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO. This includes providing remote monitoring technology on equipment to improve efficiency, regularly reviewing products to ensure compliance with latest emissions standards. It is also developing renewable energies including modular PV and hybrid solutions that consist of different technologies, batteries and modular solar panels.

Chris Rason, UK Managing Director at Aggreko, said: “Delivering sustainable growth and limiting the impact our business has on the environment is extremely important for Aggreko. As a business, we have made a number of commitments and by implementing ISO 50001, and getting the Carbon Trust Standard, we will ensure that we continue to improve our energy efficiency.

“The Carbon Trust Standard will allow us to monitor and manage our energy performance to help aid year-on-year reductions. Through verified environmental impact data, regulation compliance will be ensured, which in turn will help our customers. Working with the Carbon Trust closely will allow us to benchmark our performance and, perhaps most importantly, identify opportunities for improvement and implement these.”

Chris Rason concluded: “Aggreko has a vision to be the greenest provider of temporary power equipment and our aim for the next year is to help customers become greener. As a business, we are taking active responsibility to limit the impact our business has on the environment and we look forward to seeing the positive changes these real commitments through certification will have.”

For more information, please visit www.aggreko.com.