With the VTL product ‘Click for the Environment’ (Klick für die Umwelt), VTL partners and their customers have the opportunity to voluntarily make a valuable contribution to financing high-quality “myclimate” climate protection projects in the amount of the calculated CO2e emissions when placing orders.

How many emissions does the transport of a shipment in the national VTL network actually cause? To find out, we conducted surveys in our partners’ local transport networks and analysed the main routes in the network (only in Germany). Based on this analysis and the criteria of DIN EN 16528, a corresponding CO2e shipment table was developed. It enables the exact average CO2e emissions per shipment to be read, based on the parameters of distance (km) and weight (kg).

This climate protection contribution is having an impact!

Based on the calculated emissions, “myclimate” climate protection projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America are being supported. The projects meet the highest standards (Gold Standard, Plan Vivo and VCS (including CBB and/or SD-ViSta)) and contribute to the UN’s SDGs. In this way, myclimate projects not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also contribute to social, ecological and economic development in the region.

As a network operator, we are committed to sustainable business practices and treating people and the environment responsibly. Our goal is to preserve a livable environment through environmentally friendly supply chains and logistics solutions. At the same time, we consciously integrate social responsibility into our daily activities and continuously work to strengthen it further.

As a network operator, we are also committed to a strong community in which every individual – whether employee, partner, customer or supplier – is respected and valued for their individuality. We specifically promote development, education, health and respectful coexistence as the central foundations for a sustainable society. In addition, we promote cooperation based on partnership – both within our partner network and between company management and employees. To this end, we use formats such as our annual regional meetings, the system partner meeting and, in particular, the network meeting. Respectful interaction, open dialogue with all teams and a willingness to engage in constructive criticism are part of our everyday practice. This attitude is also reflected in our network values:

Use of renewable energies
For sustainable building management, we rely on electricity from renewable energies (photovoltaics), the expansion of LED lighting in the outdoor area of our HUB, and digital solutions to further reduce energy consumption. We operate a photovoltaic system with an installed capacity of 99 kWp on the roof of our HUB. It generates around 100,000 kWh of electricity per year – equivalent to the average annual consumption of around 354 households. The majority of the electricity generated is used for our own consumption – in particular for operating our electric industrial trucks. In addition, the electricity we generate ourselves is used to charge electric vehicles at our wallbox. Furthermore, demand-controlled lighting in our transshipment hall 3 ensures efficient energy use during the early shift.

Paperless office
We are gradually digitising our business processes. We only print what is absolutely necessary.

Cyber security
Cyber security is a key component of our sustainable corporate management. By protecting our digital infrastructure, we ensure long-term stability and trust-based cooperation throughout the entire network.

Waste separation
We consistently separate waste at our warehouse site and in our offices. We use reusable pallets, which were originally intended as disposable pallets, at the HUB to secure loads or for form-fitting, thereby reducing our wood waste.

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With these measures, we want to motivate our partners to also actively contribute to building a sustainable network. In addition, we support VTL depots in implementing their own environmental measures – for example, by offering consulting services to make processes and road transport more environmentally friendly and further reduce CO₂e emissions.