This is the Annual Sustainability Report of Samskip B.V., including Samskip Multimodal B.V., and Samskip HF. The report covers our activities from 2021, as well as future visions and aspirations for 2022 and beyond. The intention of this report is not only to celebrate our successes, but also to be transparent in our reporting and look forward to future improvements. Our approach is to focus on the social, environmental, ethical, and business development aspects of the organisation, with an emphasis on partnerships, which make us stronger and more adaptable to sustainable practices.
“The shift towards sustainability is larger than just reaching emission targets. At Samskip, our people pioneer and lead the green transition of the logistics industry. And our goal is not only to help our clients realise their sustainability ambitions, but to make it easy. Committed to reaching Net-Zero by 2040, with ambitious reduction targets for the coming years, we at Samskip are the ambassadors of green logistics.”
With this report, we aim to give insight into the sustainability world of Samskip by telling our story – old and new – and looking at our initiatives to reduce our negative impact on the planet, and start creating a positive one. Reporting on our energy, emission, water, waste, and pollution management. We have a wealth of initiatives that drive the reduction of CO2-e. Most notable are our projects to develop an ultraprecise carbon foot printing system for our operations, and our increased use of alternative fuels, such as biofuels, LNG, and hydrogen. At Samskip, we strive to increase network digitalisation and automation through innovative technology, such as our Nav-Tech eye gear, which allows us to digitally link to the Nav-Tech glasses our employees are wearing, to see what they see and give real time guidance and situational assessment. What underpins our efforts, however, are our employees themselves, who we aim to develop under our guidance and career progression opportunities. We aim to promote diversity, engage employees in responsible business practices, keep them safe, and educate them on sustainability. By demonstrating business integrity, we also show our understanding of the importance of compliance and information security.
Throughout this report, we describe our emissions in terms of CO2-equivalents, or CO2-e in short. By adding the “e” for equivalent, we take all other greenhouse gases (GHGs) into consideration as well, leading to a more reliable number when it comes to environmental impact.
To supplement this report, we are guided by the GRI standards. Therefore, we ensure the highest quality for our report in terms of accuracy, transparency, inclusiveness, and reliability. A list of indicators we comply with can be found here, giving a complete overview of relevant key performance indicators. The report is currently not assured.
We are incredibly proud to be publishing our annual sustainability report for the year of 2021. It was a successful year for Samskip with many changes in the organisation, and exciting developments. But it was not without its challenges.
We have struggled with our performance, especially in the UK due to Brexit and Covid-19-related issues. Solving issues like terminal congestion and driver shortages have been high on our agenda. We have been working extremely hard both internally and externally with our partners to adjust our operating model to make it better suited to the new normal. But, despite these hurdles, Samskip has thrived, with increasing revenues, improved profitability levels and falling global emissions.
The most notable development for us this year is the announcement of our revised strategy, with the new long-term vision of making green logistics easy. Together with our employees, the leadership team sees the importance of aligning the company with sustainable practices for the protection of our environment and to limit the catastrophic consequences of climate change.
That is why we are putting sustainability at the centre of our company, rolling out a new strategy and investing in development and innovation in the form of new technologies, alternative fuels, and optimisation software. Sustainability will be at the core of our company culture.
Samskip has always been dedicated to minimising our impact on the environment, and providing a safe, secure, and sustainable workplace for our people. But this year, we have decided to take it a step further. This sustainability report is a crucial milestone for Samskip, and in it we aim to show our history and commitment to decisive and deliberate climate action.
As a global logistics company, we offer transport and related services by road, sea, river, rail, and air, around the world, focusing on cost-efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly solutions.
We have the largest European multimodal container transportation network, with logistics operations spanning all over the globe, with 32 offices in 20 countries, and with over 1500 permanent employees. Our high-frequency logistics, and freight-forwarding services connect destinations across Europe, the United States, Russia, and Central Asia. Whether it’s door-to-door or from docks to the railway terminal, we focus on utilising multimodal transportation, and making our customers’ journeys as smooth as possible.
We are the environmentally friendly solution. We may not be perfect, but sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We have built a multimodal network and business model that makes us sustainable by design. However, there is still much for us to do. We will keep pushing to take our vision even further through our innovative processes and ideas. We aim to not just be ‘good’ or ‘compliant’ but to be the most environmentally friendly container transportation company in Europe.
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Samskip was originally founded in Iceland in 1990. This marked the start of a dynamic history of transformation and growth through strategic acquisitions, and expansion, leading up to the Rotterdam-based multinational we are today.
Together we make things happen! To do so, we live by the following words:
Although we are professionals, we like to be flexible and personable. To support this reality, we use and develop top-notch technological solutions, which are key to helping our clients reach their goals swiftly, safely, and in the most sustainable way possible.
Our Vision, Mission, and Values are carefully constructed to honestly reflect our beliefs, aspirations and plans for the future.
Our Values capture our DNA, attitude, morals, and mentality at Samskip. These attributes help us to realise 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.
Our Strategic Pillars form the foundation on which we can realise our ambitions and potential growth.
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
Our CO₂-e emission results are calculated with a carbon footprinting model that Samskip has developed in collaboration with experts from leading research institute TNO. The calculations themselves are based on the latest draft (March 2022) of the upcoming ISO14083-certification. We intend to have our carbon footprinting model ISO14083-certified once the standard is published in November 2022. Please feel free to reach out to us for any questions about the CO₂-e-calculation in this report.
Operational emissions include scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 emissions that are directly caused by the movement of cargo, e.g. burning of fuel on our ships (scope 1), cooling temperature-controlled warehouses (scope 2), and the emissions from 3rd party hauliers (scope 3). It does not include scope 1 emissions from personnel company cars, scope 2 emissions from offices, nor scope 3 emissions from other procured services such as business travel, etc.
As seen below in table 2, we present our calculated carbon footprint per container transport operation category between the years 2020 and 2021. We were supported by experts on carbon footprinting for transport and logistics from TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, to be sure that we did everything up to standard. These calculations are based on the latest draft (March 2022) of the ISO 14083. We intend to have our carbon footprinting system audited and certified for this new standard once it is published in November 2022.
The facts are clear. The negative environmental footprint of the transport industry is significant.
Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global CO2-e emissions. But there is one specific modality that is responsible for the lion’s share of those emissions…
Road transport alone accounts for 15% of total CO2-e emissions. This is why we do everything we can to move cargo off the roads and encourage our customers to opt for tailored and innovative multimodal transport solutions instead. 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. For example, approximately 18% of European cargo is moved by rail, yet it only accounts for 4% of total energy expenditure in cargo transport, and only 0.2% of carbon emissions
From there, cargo can be transported to its destination by LNG truck, or by inland barge for an even more environmentally friendly option. No matter the destination, we make sure to leverage the many different transport solutions that our multimodal network offers, and we always try to pick the less energy and carbon intensive modalities to transport our customers’ goods.
The shipping industry is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2-e annually. Here at Samskip, want to make a real positive difference, and to actively contribute to lowering these numbers. The International Maritime Organisation has set a target to cut these emissions by 50% by 2050, but this target is in no way ambitious enough to stop climate change. That’s why we have committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative, with the target of reaching Net-Zero by 2040.
This is only a taste of the plans we have to become the most environmentally friendly logistics solutions provider in Europe.