Lufthansa Cargo proudly reported today that it has received one of the 2012 ÖkoGlobe awards that recognize achievement and advancement in the mobility and transport industry.
Lufthansa Cargo was selected for the award thanks to it’s weight-saving Jettainer cargo containers (Jettainer is a Lufthansa Cargo subsidiary) that are manufactured from composite materials and are 13 kilograms lighter than their aluminum predecessors. In all, Lufthansa Cargo will have approximately 5000 of these containers in use over the next few years.
Here is an example of the award winning design (courtesy of Lufthansa Cargo):
Doing the math (based on 5000 containers in service), Lufthansa Cargo can potentially eliminate approximately 65,000Kg or 143,300 pounds of unnecessary weight from their container “fleet”. With 15,500 Lufthansa Cargo flights each year, and with Jet Fuel currently costing €650 per ton, you can quickly see just how much impact a lighter container can make on the bottom line!
Lufthansa Cargo Manager Markus Witte stated in the awards ceremony held in Cologne that “It is becoming increasingly evident that the mobility industry is investing substantially in innovation and making immense efforts proactively in order to reduce CO2 emissions. We are proud that Lufthansa Cargo has won recognition for its lightweight containers with this environmental award, which has previously been captured mainly by the automotive industry. That motivates us to continue developing innovative and environmentally friendly ideas.”
Lufthansa Cargo placed 3rd in the awards ceremony, behind innovations from Volkswagen and Deutsche Post.
When I was in Frankfurt a couple of weeks ago visiting Lufthansa Cargo, I saw these containers throughout the facility. They are made from a composite material that reminded me of something along the lines of a plastic coated canvas or tarp. It was fairly rigid, yet easy enough to bend, but extremely durable and appeared quite unbreakable.
For more information on the ÖkoGlobe Awards, please visit www.oekoglobe.de
