Welcome to Samskip's 2022 Sustainability Report! We are thrilled to share our journey with you, created to give you an insight into our current practices and initiatives and showcase our commitment to creating a sustainable future.
In this report, we will be taking you on a journey of our hard work and lessons learnt throughout 2022. Our goal here is to be transparent about our progress; to share things we are proud to have accomplished as well as to outline areas for future improvement we have identified.
At Samskip, we are passionate about sustainability and understand the importance of focusing on the environmental, social, and ethical aspects of our organisation. We are proud to say that our emphasis on long term relationships has made us stronger and more adaptable to sustainable practices.
We aim to share our current story and our plans for the future in this report, to provide detailed insight into our sustainability efforts and vision. We will showcase our initiatives to reduce our negative impact on the planet while creating positive impacts in the communities we operate in and beyond.
Samskip BV has reported in reference to the GRI Standards for the period of January to December 2022.
Dear reader,
I am delighted to share with you the Samskip 2022 Sustainability Report. This report highlights our unwavering commitment to sustainability showing both our proud achievements but also the challenges we face as we work towards our vision of making logistics sustainable.
Samskip recognizes its responsibility to leave a positive impact on this world. Carbon reduction and social and economic development have been topping our agendas for the past year and will remain crucial focus points as we move forward.
The logistics industry has faced significant challenges over the past year. The pandemic resulted in huge supply chain disruptions and global shortages, something that could be felt throughout the whole logistics industry.
These effects from COVID-19 rippled onto the labour market as well, as it became harder to attract talent to join us and stay with us. By studying the requirements of our people, we aim to get a deeper understanding of what it is that makes Samskip an attractive employer to work for. At Samskip, our people are our most valuable assets, and I am proud of the passion, knowledge, and expertise that our people bring to work every day.
Unfortunately, with the invasion of Russia into Ukraine on February 24th, another global crisis showed its face. Samskip responded immediately and suspended all logistics services going in and out of Russia from February 28th. While Samskip strongly condemns the war and mourns the devastation and loss of life that the war has resulted in, I want to stress that we stand behind our employees located in Russia. Having just acquired the shipping line SeaConnect to strengthen our Russian position in 2021, we faced a major restructuring challenge, but I feel reassured to know that our Russian colleagues have found new roles in our company. It was also heart-warming to see that colleagues from multiple locations took immediate action to collect and provide humanitarian aid to support Ukraine.
In times of crisis, Samskip must be able to change quickly to adapt to changing circumstances. In our view, this is the true meaning of being sustainable.
A notable example of our transition towards being a more sustainable company is our multimodal approach to logistics, which is energy efficient by nature often saving half the emissions compared to road transport. By investing in new technologies like our hydrogen-powered Sea-Shuttles, we aim to reduce our emissions down to Net-Zero by 2040.
By achieving our target of reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2022 (compared to 2020), we are walking the walk when it comes to sustainability. Samskip now has four vessels running on 100% biofuels, and many more decarbonisation initiatives in the pipeline. I am proud that Samskip Multimodal’s efforts were recognized by being awarded the Golden EcoVadis medal with a score placing us in the top 2% compared to our industry peers.
The future will bring more challenges, more change, and perhaps more crises. But, when looking at Samskip, I see a company that is adapting rapidly, sometimes even faster than I thought was possible. Seeing our people, innovative and resilient, I am confident that Samskip is ready for that future.
Ready to make Green Logistics Easy.
It is no secret that the transport industry has a significant impact on global CO2 emissions and climate change, so we want to begin by taking a moment to acknowledge the “elephant sized vessel in the room”. These are the facts: Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global CO2e emissions, with road transport alone account for 15% of those total emissions. Shipping’s contribution stands at 10.6%, while rail travel and freight emits 1% of transport emissions[1].
It is important to note that while 1% of transport emissions coming from rail and freight transport may seem insignificant, shipping alone is responsible for 940 million tonnes of CO2e annually. These numbers are alarming and put into perspective the urgency for the transportation industry to prioritise sustainability efforts. The International Maritime Organisation has set a target to cut these emissions by 50% by 2050. While this is a step in the right direction, we at Samskip feel that this is not ambitious enough to combat climate change. We are committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative, and our goal is to reach Net-Zero by 2040. We believe that we have a responsibility to our planet and future generations, and we are taking bold steps to achieve a sustainable future.
Unfortunately, greenwashing is a significant issue in our industry, with companies making claims about the sustainable features of their services without any real proof. At Samskip, we are dedicated to ensuring that our sustainability efforts are genuine, verifiable, and transparent. We strive to be pioneering and lead by example, and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and minimising our impact on the environment and society.
But what makes us different? Quite simply, sustainable, multimodal logistics.
It is our unique approach to the industry, using a combination of different transportation modes and striving to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to take better care of our planet. We are proud to offer our clients a more eco-friendly and cost-effective transportation solution that does not compromise on reliability or efficiency.
No matter the destination, we leverage the many different transport solutions that our multimodal network offers, always opting for less energy- and carbon-intensive modalities to transport our customers’ goods. Given that road transport accounts for the largest portion of CO2e emissions within our activities, we make every effort to move cargo off the roads and encourage our customers to choose innovative multimodal transport solutions. One such solution is replacing long-haul trucking with rail transport through our state-of-the-art railway terminal in Duisburg. Rail is the least emitting freight transport modality, accounting for only 4% of total energy expenditure and 0.2% of carbon emissions globally. From there, cargo can be transported to its destination by truck, or by inland barge for a more environmentally friendly option. This solution is strengthened through our carbon footprint calculator, providing clients with a way of visualising the benefits of multimodal transport. The tool assesses our multimodal transport options as compared to traditional road transport, accounting for every stage of our service from pick-up to delivery throughout our extensive European network. This way, clients can evaluate the emissions their journey will emit and make choices on their transport needs from there, putting sustainability at the forefront of our operations.
Our approach to sustainable logistics does not compromise the flexibility, frequency, quality nor resilience of our service offerings. Instead, we aim to maintain these benefits, while improving our social, environmental, and ethical performance.
Together we make things happen! We live by this mantra and strive to create a collaborative and personable environment, while still maintaining a high level of professionalism. To support this approach, we rely on cutting-edge technological solutions that allow us to help our clients achieve their goals quickly, safely, and sustainably. We understand the importance of adaptability and strive to stay ahead of the curve by developing innovative solutions that keep us at the forefront of the industry.
Our Vision, Mission, and Values are carefully crafted to reflect our beliefs, aspirations, and goals for the future. Our values are the cornerstone of our culture and represent the core attributes that make us who we are at Samskip. These attributes are deeply ingrained in our DNA, attitudes, morals, and mentality, and enable us to achieve our Mission and Vision for the future.
We believe that opportunities are created by innovating, by challenging the status quo, thinking critically and creatively.
We are committed to our people, partners, and planet, and take responsibility for our actions and their impact on the world around us.
We are reliable professionals that deliver on our promises to our people, partners and customers.
We collaborate and help each other to succeed; together we create an inspiring place to work; together we win.
Continuously develop our Profit-driven Network
Be Customer Centric in our decision making
Put Sustainability at the centre of our company
Empower Our People to reach their full potential
Achieve and sustain Operational Excellence
The value chain from a multimodal logistics company encompasses various activities that span across upstream, direct operations, and downstream stages.
In the upstream activities, there is a focus on acquiring businesses and assets, establishing relationships with suppliers of containers, vessels, and trucks, as well as securing fuel/energy suppliers for the transportation fleet. Additionally, we engage in freight forwarding to collaborate with other logistics partners and handle pre/on carriage arrangements.
Moving to the direct operations stage, Samskip’s main responsibilities include distributing goods between warehouses and factories, to different modes of transportation such as vessels, trains, and trucks. Samskip efficiently manages the actual transportation routes, which may involve transfers from vessels to trucks or between different modes. Furthermore, we handle the distribution of goods from vessels, trains, or trucks to warehouse services at the destination, ensuring a seamless flow of operations.
Finally, in the downstream activities, the logistics company focuses on the delivery of assets, ensuring that containers, trucks, and vessels are efficiently transported to their designated locations. Additionally, we take care of the end-of-life phase for containers, trucks, and vessels, implementing proper disposal or recycling measures to minimise environmental impact and adhere to Samskip’s sustainability practices. These downstream activities help maintain efficiency and integrity throughout the entire value chain.
Efficient information flow across a complex value chain can be challenging due to numerous factors. Multiple stakeholders, including manufacturers, suppliers, carriers, and customers, have their own unique systems and processes for managing information. This lack of standardisation and interoperability complicates information exchanges. In addition, different modes of transport, such as air, sea, and road, have varying protocols and requirements for sharing and receiving information. These factors can result in communication delays and problems that can significantly impact Samskip's ability to report on all data accurately and transparently. To prevent errors and ensure seamless information exchange, we are focusing on improving our data management procedures and are only reporting on the data that was directly available for 2022.
Samskip takes pride in its governance structure and its commitment to making a positive impact around the world through our logistic and transport solutions.
The company has two boards: the Supervisory Board and the Management Board.
The Supervisory Board, which includes members of both Icelandic and Dutch nationality, advises the Management Board, and is elected by the company's shareholders. The Management Board, on the other hand, is responsible for the daily management of the company and holds the highest decision-making power. They are informed by the company's Quality Team and are committed to developing and implementing Samskip's sustainability strategy. This important task is managed by a dedicated Sustainability Team. The Head of Sustainability then reports to the Director of Business Development, who in turn reports to the CEO who is also Chairman of the Management Board.
The KVNR promotes and protects the common interests of Dutch shipping companies on a national, European, and global level. Samskip actively participates in committees and work groups regarding key regulatory and policy decisions on maritime matters.
UK Chamber of Shipping is the trade association and voice for the shipping industry, with a mission to help create a greener shipping industry and world Samskip is specifically involved in the work towards decarbonisation, supporting the urgent need to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 in the shipping industry.
The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport promotes intermodal transport and facilitates the enhancement of the sector throughout European political authorities and diverse governing bodies of the European Union, with an emphasis on the sustainable mode of long(er) distance freight transport.
ISO 14001 is an international standard for managing environmental sustainability. It requires the development and implementation of an appropriate environmental policy for the organisation, with a focus on continuous improvement, preventing pollution, controlling environmental risks, and complying with applicable laws.
We are also certified for ISO 9001 Quality Assurance scheme and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System.
EcoVadis provides a holistic sustainability ratings service of companies, covering a broad range of non-financial management systems, including environmental, labour and human rights, business ethics, and sustainable procurement impacts. The certification helps companies improve their sustainability practices, build their reputation, and demonstrate their commitment to responsible business practices.
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