Gruber Offers Climate-Friendly Transport via ‘Book & Claim’

As one of the first companies ever, Gruber Logistics offers climate-friendly transport options on the road through ‘Book & Claim’. The system developed by the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) allows companies to purchase shares of alternative fuels available on the market, even if these are not physically available on the specific booked route.

(Bozen) The South Tyrolean logistics provider Gruber Logistics acquires quotas of low-emission fuels for its customers, which can be added to the company’s services in the future. This allows Gruber Logistics to consistently continue its market positioning as an innovative and sustainable logistics company.

The ‘Book & Claim’ system is similar to the booking option for green electricity already practiced in the energy sector. The purchased electricity from renewable energy sources does not physically arrive at the consumer’s outlet but is fed proportionally into the overall grid. This principle has long been used in the aviation and shipping sectors to enable flexible allocation of quotas for low-emission fuels. However, there has previously been a lack of international recognition or a booking instrument that can manage the allocation of fuel between suppliers and customers. With ‘Book & Claim’, the SFC has closed this gap and provided a solid methodology that can revolutionize the management of sustainable logistics and significantly accelerate the demand for alternative fuels and climate-friendly modes of transport.

Facilitates the Coordination of Supply and Demand

“There are two essential aspects that speak for this new system,” explains Andrea Condotta, Public Affairs, Sustainability & Innovation Manager at Gruber Logistics. “The first is the obvious one: ‘Book & Claim’ facilitates the coordination of supply and demand for sustainable transport solutions. The second is the greater transparency of the market for sustainable fuels in Europe.” According to Condotta, the fuel trade today relies on controlling the quantities brought to market rather than tracking individual biofuel molecules. This means that, from a practical perspective, the actual physical use of sustainable fuels is rather the exception, even if the corresponding fuel is purchased at the gas station. Instead, available biodiesel shares were acquired on the market.

Condotta: “In itself, as in the energy sector, it is not relevant where the decarbonization process takes place. It is sufficient that it takes place. However, the control over the quotas of alternative fuels acquired by transport companies is currently not taking place. So when we talk about ‘Book & Claim’, it is about more flexibility, but also about more control over the supply chain.”

Ettore Gualandi, technical expert at Gruber Logistics, explains that the credibility of the system is crucial for its market dissemination. “We have created a ‘Chain of Custody’ to fully and digitally track the lifecycle of the fuel, from production to distribution to refueling our trucks. This allows us to guarantee our customers a net reduction in CO₂ footprint. Even though the international framework does not mandate a third-party certified system, we have undergone two external audits to strengthen the credibility of ‘Book & Claim’. The audits confirmed both the method of emissions calculation and the fuel quotas we acquired.”

Aware of Responsibility

“We are proud to be among the first players to introduce ‘Book & Claim’. However, we are also aware of the responsibility that comes with it. Nowadays, it is essential to ensure the safety standards of a new system, and it is with this objective that we have tested our ‘Book & Claim’ model,” emphasizes Martin Gruber, CEO of the namesake group.

Photo: © Gruber Logistics