Specialty chemicals company LANXESS is reducing its annual CO₂ emissions in rail transport within Europe by around 75 percent from some 870 metric tons to around 220 metric tons. It is doing so by being the first chemical company to take up DB Schenker Rail’s Eco Plus offer for single wagon rail transport. The electricity required for transport will be obtained from renewable energy sources. The option of CO₂-free transport and energy procurement has been certified by TÜV SÜD.

“We are constantly endeavoring to avoid environmentally unfriendly emissions wherever we can – both in production and naturally in the shipping of our products. By opting for Eco Plus we are achieving a further milestone in cutting CO₂," said Werner Breuers, a member of the LANXESS AG Board of Management.

Since March, all transportation with DB Schenker Rail has been carried out according to the Eco Plus option, amounting to around 110,000 metric tons of product annually. This reduces the amount of CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere by LANXESS through rail transport by around 660 metric tons. By way of comparison, transport of the same volume of goods by road would lead to discharges of around 2,000 metric tons of CO₂. In total, LANXESS annually transports around 160,000 metric tons of chemicals and bulk materials – especially chemical intermediates – by rail.