Cleaner skies will only happen when everyone comes together – as shown by Kuehne+Nagel, LATAM Group, and Elite Group in this year’s flower season. The three again agreed to invest in SAF for the flowers being flown out of Bogotà, Columbia, to Miami, in time for the American Mother’s Day, celebrated on 12MAY24. It is the second time within a year, that the three have collaborated on a SAF sustainability initiative. This time, a total of 34,615 liters of SAF were purchased, resulting in a reduction of 55 tons of CO2 emissions on that route, during the transport of more than 1.6 million flower stems. The SAF used had been produced from used cooking oil, in this case. All three have clear sustainability targets. In Kuehne+Nagel’s case, the reduction of emissions is a core topic of its Roadmap 2026 and Vision 2030.
Yngve Ruud, Executive Vice President Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, said: “It is crucial to drive actions in the industry that emphasize the importance of establishing a sustainability strategy. Based on long-term collaboration, the impacts of the initiatives developed increase over time. The decarbonization challenges faced by logistics companies are ambitious, and the only way to achieve them is by leading the conversation and actions around the ESG agenda at a global level.”
Andrés Bianchi, CEO of LATAM Group subsidiaries, stated: “This alliance deepens the LATAM group’s commitment and efforts against climate change, with which we challenge ourselves to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Collaboration between the different actors in this industry is essential to advance at the pace necessary to achieve our goals. We hope that examples like this will help to generate more solutions that contribute to decarbonization and encourage the development of this type of fuel in South America where there is great potential.”
Speaking for the flower companies in Elite Group, its Executive Vice President, Galo Sánchez, commented: “This initiative aligns perfectly with our broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives, underscoring our goal of net zero emissions while maintaining a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which we operate. Adopting SAF protects our environment and enhances the reputation of air transport, ensuring the longevity of numerous jobs throughout our supply chain. As a leader in our industry, we remain steadfast in our mission to unite innovation with responsibility, driving progress while upholding our commitment to the planet and our global community.”
