Sustainable logistics at HHLA

At HHLA, we see ourselves as pioneers in the logistics industry, leading the way towards greater sustainability and green logistics. We develop innovative solutions for our customers that are both ecologically and economically sound. These efforts are also reflected in the implementation of our sustainability strategy under the guiding principle of Balanced Logistics.

By the end of 2023, we had already reduced our CO₂ emissions by 38 per cent compared to the 2018 baseline. Our goal is clear: by 2030, we want to reduce our CO₂ emissions by at least 50 per cent and achieve climate-neutral production by 2040. We will achieve this by using efficient and climate-friendly terminals, intermodal logistics with electric locomotives and electric trucks, by switching to shore power in the Port of Hamburg, and by testing the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

Our climate-friendly logistics solutions extend well beyond the handling at the quayside. Our rail subsidiary Metrans makes a major contribution in this area. It organises efficient rail transport within Europe almost exclusively using electric locomotives that are suitable for the power systems in seven European countries. The Metrans network is growing continuously and dynamically. Hundreds of weekly connections help to shift more freight from the road to the more environmentally friendly railway. Our strength in intermodal logistics ensures sustainable and efficient supply chains that help to reduce overall emissions in the German and European transport sector.

We are currently also working intensively on a project in Hamburg to switch to shore power. The aim is to supply container ships with electrical energy in the future so that they can switch off their engines in port. This will reduce their CO₂ and pollutant emissions as well as noise pollution.

We also help our customers to operate more sustainably and to future-proof their businesses. We support them in complying with strict environmental standards and in achieving their own climate targets – whether it's through environmentally friendly transport, reduced CO₂ emissions when using our logistics solutions or, in principle, by working with an environmentally conscious partner like HHLA.

As a renewable fuel and raw material, hydrogen can play a crucial role in the energy transition and contribute to climate protection. In 2020, we co-founded the HHLA Hydrogen Network project to identify the potential of hydrogen in our own business areas and beyond. This project provides a framework for all our hydrogen activities and strategies.

In the Hamburg Clean Port & Logistics Cluster, we are working with more than 45 other companies to test hydrogen-powered equipment in port logistics. By combining our expertise in a large network, we are accelerating the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty logistics and port operations. This collaboration promotes the widespread use of renewable energies in the transport sector.

Hydrogen must be made available across the board. That is why we, as a logistics group, are actively involved in projects related to the import and distribution of hydrogen. These include the lighthouse project TransHyDE, which is further developing and testing technologies for the transport and storage of hydrogen. With our network, which extends from various seaports into the European hinterland, we at HHLA are excellently equipped to advance new opportunities in hydrogen import and transport.

We make our commitment to sustainability binding, transparent, measurable and comparable. That is why we have been publishing an annual sustainability report since 2008 and an integrated annual report since 2022.

Evaluating our measures according to the strict requirements of the EU taxonomy shows that we are playing a pioneering role in the mobility industry when it comes to sustainable logistics. In 2023, 79 percent of our revenue was already in line with these regulatory requirements, while the European industry average for companies in the mobility sector was 7 percent (2022). HHLA's capital expenditure (capex) of approximately €350 million (2023) was even 87 percent taxonomy-aligned.

We apply the reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for sustainability reporting, which are the most widely used standards worldwide in this context. This also ensures comparability on an international scale.
 

We report on the Group and the joint-stock company in the form of a non-financial statement, the contents of which are embedded in the management report of the integrated annual report. This serves to fulfil the legal requirements that arise for us under the law to strengthen non-financial reporting by companies in management and group management reports (CSR Directive Implementation Act). As of 2022, information on the EU Taxonomy Regulation is also included in the Integrated Annual Report.

We operate in the midst of a large number of stakeholders with different expectations and requirements. To obtain an up-to-date picture of these expectations and requirements, we conducted a materiality analysis in November 2021 in which we examined the potentially relevant sustainability topics of internal and external stakeholders.