Covestro is joining forces with DB Cargo BTT to transport chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way in Poland.
Covestro. This German company dealing with high-tech polymer materials entered into partnership with DB Cargo BTT, a provider of rail logistics for making steps in reducing carbon footprints by lowering the emissions caused by the transportation of its chemicals. This step will assist Covestro reach its goal to achieve carbon-neutrality until 2050. The step would result in reduction of minimum 70 percent CO2 in contrast to regular transport on road.
Responsible Chemical Transport
This partnership focuses on the transportation of methylene diphenyl isocyanate, which is a key chemical in the manufacturing of polyurethane for insulation in buildings and refrigeration. MDI is transported through trucks, which increases the level of CO2 emissions. To curb this, Covestro and DB Cargo BTT have developed a two-stage sustainable transport strategy.
The first step involves sending chemicals from the production sites in Germany of Covestro to a railway terminal in trucks run by the new kind of green fuel HVO 100, which is extracted from renewable sources. Carbon levels emitted from the alternative fuel are lower than in their fossil counterparts. In the second stage, the chemicals are transported by rail to Poland, which does not require long-distance truck transport and thus further reduces CO2 emissions. The bio-fuel trucks are then used to transport the chemicals back to customers within Poland, ending the green supply chain.
Ambition to reach climate neutrality by 2050
The partnership is part of the long-term sustainability strategy by Covestro. The company is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. “Covestro is engaging the entire value chain in the process of reducing emissions, including the optimization of supply chains, optimum modes of transport, and replacing fossil fuels with alternative, sustainable energy sources such as green electricity and HVO,” said Hanno Bruemmer, Head of Supply Chain and Logistics EMLA at Covestro.
The company is also looking for increasing load capacity and trying to find the most efficient and sustainable transport routes, said Bruemmer.
“Reliable, efficient, and sustainable logistics are part of our path to climate neutrality,” added Bruemmer.
DB Cargo BTT Role in Sustainable Logistics
Cooperation is key for achieving efficient and sustainable logistics according to Torsten Lüders, Managing Director of DB Cargo BTT. The DB Cargo group’s DB Cargo BTT is focusing on the combination of rail transport with bio-fuel-driven trucks for the first and last miles of delivery. Lüders explains that the transformation of the chemical industry in the transport of chemicals via rail combined with bio-fuel trucks, it not only is emission reduction-oriented but also supports the overall transformation of the chemical industry and makes European supply chains more sustainable.
This joint operation is evidence of our continued commitment to building even more resource-saving supply chains, which also supports the sustainable transformation of the industrial sector, he says. The projects highlighted how much more value is already being transmitted by us towards the customers.
Excellent Step on Green Future Path
The blending use of rail transports and the utilization of HVO 100 fuel is certainly promising for less carbon footprint with any industrial manufacturing activities. Since transportation of MDI is a critical part of Covestro’s supply chain, the company is setting an example for others to follow by adopting more sustainable practices. The partnership with DB Cargo BTT demonstrates the extent to which the different modes of transport can be combined to drastically reduce the CO2 emissions of a bio-fuel-driven truck and improve the sustainability of industrial logistics. This is a fantastic step for Covestro in its attempt to become carbon neutral by the year 2050, besides laying the concept that the onus of industrial action should also not be avoided to reach this achievement for a bright, climate-friendly future. The company would indeed like to go ahead and pursue reducing transport-related emissions and find ways to boost the efficiency it has in supply chain, where it is therefore looking for collaborative work with DB Cargo BTT.