Since March, DB Schenker Rail has been providing CO2-free transportation of automotive components from Wuppertal to Regensburg and Landshut on behalf of the BMW Group. The automaker has now added a further route to its Eco Plus transportation services, in which the required traction current is obtained from renewable energy sources. The BMW Group already switched over its transportation services between Frankfurt and Bavaria to the eco-friendly transport system back in August 2013.
Axel Marschall, the Member of the DB Schenker Rail Management Board for Sales, said, "On introducing Eco Plus, DB Schenker Rail successfully launched a pioneering product onto the market. We believe it is important to make an active contribution to environmental protection, and this innovative product does so without the need for projects to offset CO2 quantities that have already been emitted."
Five times a week, a 500-meter long freight train carrying finished parts travels the 650 kilometers from Wuppertal to the BMW plants in Regensburg and Landshut without emitting any CO2. By changing over its services to Eco Plus instead of standard rail freight transportation, the automotive group can reduce its annual CO2 emissions by almost 2,000 metric tons.
Eco Plus has been available from DB Schenker Rail on payment of a surcharge on all routes in Germany since 2010. The carbon-free transportation and procurement of energy from renewable sources in Germany have been audited and certified by the independent inspection organization TUV SUD. Customers such as Audi, Mondelez International, Lanxess and Vinnolit also use this CO2-free option from DB Schenker Rail and receive an annual certificate confirming the CO2 emission savings. The first certificate for the BMW automobile group was issued on February 13 for its Eco Plus transport services from Frankfurt to Regensburg and Landshut. More than 2,000 metric tons of CO2 are now avoided on this route each year. By adding the new route from North Rhine-Westphalia to Bavaria, the automaker can now reduce its CO2 emissions by as much as 4,000 metric tons annually.
There are plans to expand Eco Plus to cover international routes in the future. Customers can currently choose "Eco Neutral" transportation to offset CO2 emissions caused on route sections outside Germany.
DB Schenker has made environmental protection an integral part of its DB2020 sustainability strategy. In doing so, the company not only offers its customers environmentally friendly solutions, but is also constantly endeavoring to reduce its own carbon footprint. It has already set itself the ambitious target of reducing specific CO2 emissions by 2 percent by the year 2020, relative to 2006.
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