In the airfreight industry, sustainability is not a buzzword, nor a trend, but rather a blueprint on which procedures, investments, and innovations are based upon. Sustainability efforts are at the top of many companies’ agendas active in this field and a significant part of airfreight players – be they air cargo carriers, ground handling agents, or trucking providers – are invested in and committed to making their contribution for a more sustainable airfreight industry.
Embracing this attitude not only aligns with the environmental goals commemorated on World Environment Day but also strengthens the airfreight industry’s long-term resilience to keep guaranteeing solid trade movements in the future.
Let’s acknowledge what’s already being done
At Swiss WorldCargo, we have achieved many meaningful milestones in this area, but we are also aware that there is much more to do: the topic is complex, the journey is long, but the commitment is worth it.
In the past year, we increased efforts to make our operations more sustainable. These include the optimization of flight routes to minimize fuel usage, the integration of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in our offering, and the increased usage of lightweight containers, to help lowering CO2 emissions across the supply chain.
We also launched our premium option ‘Aviation Tech Pioneer’ in collaboration with Climeworks, that combines CO2 removal through the innovative technology of direct air capture (DAC) and CO2 reduction through the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Thanks to this achievement, Swiss WorldCargo is the first air cargo carrier with an offer incorporating this pioneering, high-quality technological solution to decarbonize aviation.
Knowledge is powerful – Our sustainability webinar series
Sustainability in airfreight is not something a single company can achieve alone. At Swiss WorldCargo we are aware of this and have been establishing and nurturing partnerships in this area as key part of our strategy.
In light of this, Swiss WorldCargo recently launched a webinar series to address our sustainability ambitions for the future, and how customers and partners can get involved. The first webinar brought together leaders from various companies and represented a success that triggered more discussion on the topic of airfreight sustainability, leading Swiss WorldCargo to its second webinar around the power of partnerships to advance sustainability in logistics and aviation.
For us, the goal for this webinar series is simple: make it easier for customers to understand their options to make the transportation of their shipments more sustainable and be part of a global solution. Many companies want to lower their environmental impact but don’t know how. Participants benefit by learning directly from businesses building real solutions, like Sustainable Aviation Fuel and carbon removal technology.
How collaboration fuels a more sustainable system
Each actor brings something valuable to the table. Innovative businesses like Climeworks remove carbon that is put into the air. Freight forwarders help shippers choose more sustainable shipping options and track emissions. Swiss WorldCargo provides the flights and offers Add-on Services like ‘Green Choice’, which allows customers to include sustainability features when they book air cargo shipments. Together, we are building a system where customers can choose better, smarter, and more sustainable ways to move goods.
Working together for a more sustainable airfreight industry
Our speakers often talk about the need to help new technologies grow. Innovative solutions that could make a difference, such as SAF and carbon removal technology, are still expensive and limited in supply. However, with more demand, costs can decrease. Thus companies showing increased interest in these fuels can help develop them further. This is why Swiss WorldCargo and its partners already support these innovations, even before they are widely available.
We are only at the beginning
Looking at the future, our goal is to keep investing resources to drive innovation and sustainability efforts forward. One additional way to do so is represented by the use of fuel-efficient aircraft in the near future, such as our new A350 soon joining the SWISS fleet, which will be employed for our cargo operations as well.
To learn more on what still needs to be done in our airfreight industry, make sure to get the latest insights from Swiss WorldCargo here to stay informed on new solutions that have the potential to make air cargo more sustainable. A lot of progress has been made, a lot more needs to be done!
