DB Schenker: Road to Zero Emissions for a Sustainable Future
Sustainable development has become increasingly critical in our economy today, and is a topic that has brought many individuals and organizations together in their collective efforts towards a carbon-neutral society.
Sustainable development has become increasingly critical in our economy today, and is a topic that has brought many individuals and organizations together in their collective efforts towards a carbon-neutral society. On March 15th, Indian Association Business Council (IABC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment, Technology Promotion Office (Beijing), and United Nations Global Compact jointly held an event focusing on Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to accelerate Sustainable Development Goals.
At the event, Chief Executive Officer of DB Schenker in Greater China, Vishal Sharma delivered a keynote speech on “Road To Zero Emissions for a Sustainable Future”.
The event was attended by Mr. Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, together with business leaders from Indian Association Business Council (IABC) and members from EuCham, SingCham, BritCham, CanCham, IrishCham, SwissCham, AustCham.
Vishal Sharma stated: "Sustainable development has always been a top priority for DB Schenker. In terms of climate action, we adhere to the scientific goal of limiting global warming to within 1.5°C and have set for ourselves the ambitious goal of gradually phasing out diesel, kerosene, and marine fossil fuels between 2021 and 2040. As part of achieving this goal, DB Schenker has already started making corresponding changes to our business in China."
DB Schenker provides several environmental solutions for various transportation modes that reduces CO2 emissions throughout the supply chain. Since 2022, DB Schenker has deployed 45 new energy vehicles (NEVs) for intercity and peripheral distribution in major first-tier and new first-tier cities in Greater China. In 2023, DB Schenker will participate in building a green urban distribution network by collaborating with domestic carriers to deploy over 80 NEVs. DB Schenker’s ongoing efforts at building a green distribution network include the ambitious goal of having NEVs account for 75% of its urban delivery business by 2025.
The development and cost of green technology will always face a series of challenges standing in the way of sustainable transformation. Examples to this include the limited transport distance supported by currently available lithium battery new energy vehicles (NEVs) and the carbon emissions that are produced during the hydrogen production process for hydrogen-powered transportation. Regarding this, Vishal Sharma said, "Data introduced by climate watch shows an undeniable fact that, carbon emissions from transportation account for 16% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable development cannot be achieved solely by relying on contributions from the logistics and transport industry players. It maintains the balance between environmental and economic effects, which requires the participation of all stakeholders."
When setting carbon emission reduction targets, DB Schenker believes that if more companies take into account both their direct emissions from operations and the indirect emissions from the transportation, decarbonization goals can be achieved earlier. In the future, DB Schenker will continue to deepen its presence in China to provide diversified solutions with stronger logistics and transportation network capabilities, becoming a practitioner of sustainable development. As a company with 150 years of history, DB Schenker is aware that sustainable development is an essential key to ensuring growth for the next 150 years.