Covestro, DB Cargo BTT Partner for Sustainable Transport of Chemicals

This partnership will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 70% compared to traditional road transport methods.
Trucks powered by biofuels are used to transport the chemicals from one location to another, reducing CO2 emissions.
Covestro's goal is to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

Covestro, a Germany-based company supplying high-tech polymer materials, has collaborated with DB Cargo BTT, a leading rail logistics provider for chemicals and mineral oil, for the sustainable transport of chemicals, particularly in Poland.

They will transport methylene diphenyl isocyanate (MDI), a chemical used in the production of polyurethane, which is applied in insulation for buildings and refrigerators.

Hanno Bruemmer, Head of Supply Chain and Logistics EMLA at Covestro, said: “The entire value chain must be involved to achieve our joint goal of climate neutrality by 2050. Reliable, efficient and sustainable logistics for our ever more sustainable products are integral to this effort.

"We collaborate with our customers and transport companies to optimize the supply chain. This includes improving load capacity, selecting the best transport modes and routes, and introducing using sustainable and future-oriented energy sources like green electricity or HVO to replace fossil fuels.”

This transport method is intended to reduce carbon emissions. Usually, when chemicals are transported, they can produce a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2). To overcome this challenge, the companies have partnered to use a combination of sustainable methods.

Firstly, the chemicals are being transported from Covestro’s manufacturing sites in Germany to a railway terminal in Germany using trucks powered by HVO 100, a green fuel made from renewable sources, and an alternative to fossil fuels. This is the first stage in reducing CO2 during transportation.

In the second phase, the chemicals are transported by rail to Poland, avoiding traditional truck transport and reducing CO2 emissions. Once in Poland, bio-fuel trucks are used again to distribute them to customers.

Torsten Lüders, Managing Director of DB Cargo BTT GmbH, added: “At DB Cargo BTT, we also rely on working with external partners across all modes of transport in order to arrange traction or first and last mile services as efficiently as possible for our customers.

"For Covestro, we have recently transported essential chemical products to Poland and we’re now happy to combine our rail expertise with bio-fuel-driven trucks for the first and last mile.

"This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to enabling more sustainable supply chains and supporting the transformation of the chemical industry. Projects like these demonstrate how we, as part of the DB Cargo group, offer our customers a significant degree of added value and are an essential part of European supply chains.”

Compared to traditional road transport methods, this alternative sustainable option and its entire process reduce CO2 emissions by at least 70%.

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Source: Covestro