Rail freight

DB Schenker launches carbon neutral rail freight

DB Schenker has become the first company in the UK to offer their customers carbon neutral rail freight.

Eco Neutral from DB Schenker Rail UK enables customers to compensate in full for the CO2 emissions generated through their rail freight services by backing climate change projects that transfer technology and combat poverty across the globe.

It has partnered with climate protection organisation Atmosfair, which acts to protect the climate by compensating greenhouse gases through the use of renewable energies, to deliver the scheme.

DB Schenker calculates a customer’s CO2 emissions from their rail services to determine how much it will cost to compensate. The calculations take into account distance, weight, payload capacity, backload statistics, traction type, and fuel/electricity consumption. The customer can choose which project they wish to fund in order to compensate their CO2 emissions. Examples include the generation of clean electricity through wind turbines or a biogas support programme to guarantee an environmentally friendly energy supply.

Steve Pryce, from DB Schenker Rail UK, said: “We are continuously striving to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment and are proud to launch Eco Neutral as the first truly zero carbon rail freight product in the UK.

“Rail freight already offers significant environmental benefits when compared with road – each tonne transferred by rail rather than road cuts CO2 emissions by 76%. But at DB Schenker Rail UK we don’t stop there. We are committed to being an industry leader in this area, continuously investing in innovative ways to even further minimise the impact of our operations on the environment and help customers to reduce their carbon emissions.

“This commitment demonstrates the progressive nature of our company and creates a further incentive for customers to choose rail freight over other transport modes.”

The company will be showcasing Eco Neutral at Multimodal, the UK and Ireland’s leading freight transport and logistics exhibition, from April 28-30, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

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