As part of the Mother's Day celebrations, LATAM Cargo, Kuehne+Nagel, and Elite Flower purchased more than 25,000 liters of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The amount purchased would reduce the equivalent of the total emissions generated by a cargo flight on the Bogotá-Miami route, a period in which a large shipment of flowers was transported, mostly roses.
The SAF purchased is a type of fuel that comes from alternative raw materials such as waste, fats, and oils, among others, to produce a low CO2 fuel. The SAF is then mixed together with the conventional fuel.
In this case, the sustainable aviation fuel purchased was produced from used cooking oil, a material that, after being treated, is mixed with traditional jet fuel. Taking into account that the SAF has an attributed reduction factor of around 80% of CO2 in its life cycle compared to the conventional one, the companies purchased a necessary amount of SAF that would allow the reduction equivalent to the total emissions emitted by a flight on the advertised route.
"This initiative marks yet another milestone for the LATAM group in our efforts against climate change. We want to make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of the region, and for this, we have committed ourselves, among other things, to being carbon neutral by 2050. This purchase is aligned with that since it allows us to continue advancing in our SAF agenda, also being a reflection of the importance of collaboration throughout the entire logistics chain to achieve big changes. In this line, we hope that examples like this help to capitalize on the potential of South America in the generation of SAF", comments Andrés Bianchi, CEO of LATAM Cargo.
In the case of the logistics global, Kuehne+Nagel, this represented a milestone in its goal to develop tangible solutions for all types of customers and industries, with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions in supply chains and their environmental impact. Along these lines, Ingo Goldhammer, President of Kuehne+Nagel for South and Central America, comments that "There is no doubt that climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face. At Kuehne+Nagel, we know this, and, as an industry, we need to accelerate the path to limit global warming. This alliance that we have achieved together with Elite Flower and LATAM Cargo reflects that collaboration between companies is the best way to carry out concrete actions, each one contributing from their experience and specialized knowledge to collaborate under a common goal, which moves us all."
Elite Flower, a renowned company in the floral world, adds, "Being sustainable is at the core of our values at Elite Group and in each of our business units. This is how we understand the urgency of addressing the environmental challenges posed by air freight for the transport of flowers from Colombia and Ecuador to the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. Our relentless quest to reduce emissions continues, working towards our goal of net zero. By investing directly in SAF, we are taking a significant step toward reducing our emissions and contributing to a better future for the environment. This initiative is aligned with our broader sustainability strategy, in which we explore innovative solutions to achieve a more sustainable supply chain," says Galo Sanchez, Executive Vice President of Elite Flower.
According to IATA, currently, the use of SAF can make a big difference in the decarbonization of the airline industry. However, the quantities of SAF available worldwide are limited, mainly due to the lack of necessary conditions for its research, development, and production.
South America has great potential to produce SAF in terms of natural resources and expertise and thereby make a very significant contribution to climate action. For this reason, collaborative work between the different actors involved in the industry is necessary to promote the production of SAF in the region.
Commitment to sustainability
In 2021, the LATAM group launched its renewed sustainability strategy in which it established challenging goals: that SAF represents 5% of all fuel consumption in its operations by 2030, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, eliminate plastics from only use in 2023, and become a zero waste to landfill group in 2027.
For its part, Kuehne+Nagel announced its new business strategy for the next four years in March and, to meet its goal, established the following priority pillars: Kuehne+Nagel Experience, Digital Ecosystem, Market Potential, and Living ESG. The latter with a focus on developing concrete actions that contribute to reducing the environmental impact, together with working at a social level with the communities with the support of a consolidated governance structure. In its commitment to decarbonize the industry, the company has reached important agreements at a global level to be able to offer SAF in the 100 countries where it operates.
In addition to this, Kuehne+Nagel has 1|platforms for its clients, such as myKN and SeaExplorer, capable of providing visibility into the carbon emissions of operations, as well as providing reporting that seeks to measure, avoid and reduce the carbon footprint around logistics processes.
For more information:
LATAM Cargo
www.latamcargo.com