Forto’s Customers Achieve Climate Goals Nearly Two Years Early

Forto’s climate neutrality programs are being quickly adopted by customers, reaching the goal of 50% climate neutrality nearly two years earlier than expected. Shipping customers are showing increased interest in sustainable offerings that align with their own sustainability goals.

(PresseBox; Berlin) “We see these figures as positive indicators of a significant market shift. Sustainability issues are more prominent than ever for our customers,” explains Michael Wax, CEO and Co-Founder of Forto.

Forto, a leading provider of digitized freight forwarding and supply chain solutions, announced today the latest milestone in its sustainability roadmap: More than 50% of full container load (FCL) sea freight was booked with Forto’s climate protection offering in the third quarter of 2021. During this period, 65% of the sea freight customers booked through Forto committed to offsetting the CO2e emissions of their sea freight shipments, representing the highest percentage of customers to date. The adoption rate was achieved well ahead of the company’s original forecast for 2023.

A Turning Point for Logistics and Industry

The result signals the growing importance of climate-based solutions among customers and marks an important next step in the company’s long-term goal of driving the transition to sustainable supply chains. “We see these figures as positive indicators of a significant market shift. Sustainability issues are more prominent than ever for our customers,” explains Michael Wax, CEO and Co-Founder of Forto. “This is a crucial point for the logistics industry, and there is a huge opportunity for the industry to drive innovations and new programs that will dramatically impact trade and, of course, all people, our planet, and future generations.”

Climate Neutrality in Logistics

In April 2021, Forto announced its goal to make its transports 100% climate neutral by 2025. The commitment to combat the global impacts of shipping and transport on people and the planet is embedded in Forto’s DNA and strategy. The Forto program begins by providing customers with an overview of emissions and offering them information that enables them to make effective data-driven decisions. The goal is to make sustainable decisions the standard, which can be achieved by simplifying climate protection measures. The company supports this through its own investments, which complement the investments of its customers.

The initiatives focus on the following areas:

• Transparency and visibility of climate impacts. Forto believes that the first step to action is knowledge. The company works with independent third parties to continuously monitor and analyze the CO2 footprint of the transports booked by its customers to identify inefficiencies and reduce emissions. This information is available to customers through emission reports at the shipment level.
• CO2e offsetting for all modes of transport. Forto offers CO2e offsets for all modes of transport, with compensation being a standard part of sea freight shipments. Engaging in climate protection is easy, as customers can set their compensation preferences directly on the Forto platform at both global and shipment levels. Leading brands from the fashion, furniture, and electronics sectors are among the customers participating in the program as part of their own sustainability initiatives.
• Forto’s own CO2e offset commitment and 1+1 matching. To further drive positive climate impacts, Forto doubles the CO2e offsets of each customer. Additionally, Forto invests in the automatic offsetting of all sea freight less-than-container-load (LCL) shipments, making them 100% climate neutral at no additional cost to the customer.
• Transport with alternative energy. Since compensation is only a first step towards sustainable logistics, Forto is committed to exploring more environmentally friendly modes of transport. For example, 90% of intermodal rail pre- and post-haulage in Germany is carried out by trains powered by renewable energy.
• Continuous education and consulting. The company is working to empower people to take climate protection measures by listening, discussing, learning, and innovating together. All Forto teams are trained by the company’s growing sustainability team to strategically collaborate with partners, customers, and other stakeholders to explore sustainability options and find solutions that meet their needs.

Building a Network of Partners and Employees

Forto is also working to build a network of partners and employees on a global level to jointly achieve sustainability and climate goals. “Sustainability should become an integral part of every corporate philosophy,” says Dr. ing. Michael Ardelt, COO at Forto. “We want to positively influence not only our business but that of the entire industry. This means collaborating with our customers, our partners, and a variety of companies to advance these sustainability initiatives together.”

The company firmly believes in a world of free and fair trade, linking the benefits of global trade with a sustainable way of transporting goods. Few other industries or achievements in the history of humanity have had a similar impact on improving the standard of living for people around the world as trade. Beyond reducing environmental impact and improving social conditions, a sustainable and balanced company is also a future-proof company. Forto’s goal is to make supply chains future-proof and prepare the industry for the challenges of the next century.

Living Sustainability from Within

Forto strives to live sustainability from within as well. Since its founding, the company has been calculating, reducing, and offsetting its internal emissions footprint with the goal of achieving CO2e neutrality for its internal operations. Forto also works every day to create an inspiring and sustainable environment for its employees, with initiatives such as green energy, organic food, and a climate-friendly travel policy. The company offers additional programs, such as planting trees instead of product gifts as rewards for employees, as well as continuous education and inspiration, and training on sustainability topics.

Photo: © Forto / Image caption: (l. to r.) Co-Founder and CTO Erik Muttersbach, Co-Founder and CEO Michael Wax, COO Dr. ing. Michael Ardelt.