Sustainable commitment to environmental targets

After the Corona lockdown, the positive climate effect quickly faded away – now a. hartrodt feels sustainably responsible for its own lifecycle assessment and that of its customers. "We are all privately induced to take responsibility for our environment. Of course this also particularly applies to us as a company," says Thorsten Drunagel, Managing Director at a. hartrodt in Hamburg. The family-owned freight forwarding company sees it as its duty not only to fulfil every customer order in the best possible way, but also to protect the climate and environment optimally. This is to be achieved by means of a CO₂ calculator, tree sponsorships and voluntary initiatives within the company.

Showing alternative transport routes

"We would like to show alternative transport routes so that our customers have the opportunity to make environmentally friendly decisions," says Drunagel. For example, sea freight experts at a. hartrodt compare hinterland transport by barge, rail or truck. "For full containers, we look for a second option and consider the CO₂ impact in relation to price and time," explains Michaela Neubauer, Manager Sales Germany at a. hartrodt in Hamburg.

CO₂ calculator and tree sponsorships

Customers can calculate the emissions for their planned shipments by using a free CO₂ calculator and compare with alternative solutions. Neubauer notes "an increasing demand for transparent CO₂ emission levels". The trend is towards the smallest possible ecological footprint – with the "European Green Deal", the European Commission is even pursuing the aim of a climate-neutral continent by 2050.

At more than 100 locations worldwide, a. hartrodt itself takes care to preserve natural resources. One example is working almost paperless. In addition to voluntary corporate environmental protection in Hamburg, a. hartrodt will have planted one tree per employee every year – a small forest for over 2,000 people worldwide. "As an international freight forwarder, we have chosen the partner Eden Reforestation Projects with projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America," reports Neubauer.