Danish Novo Nordisk to use millions of liters of sustainable aviation fuel to replace fossil fuel for all Kuehne+Nagel air freight shipments in 2022

Diabetes R&D at Novo Nordisk A/S, Denmark, 2018.
The world’s first oral semaglutide in a tablet to treat type 2 diabetes.

• 12 million litres of SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) to minimise environmental impact of Novo Nordisk air freight globally
• Sustainable fuel offering to support customers’ pledge for carbon-neutral shipping
• Advocating for more sustainable fuel production and use

(PRESS RELEASE) SCHINDELLEGI, 20-Oct-2022 — /EuropaWire/ — Kuehne+Nagel (SWX: KNIN), one of the world’s leading logistics companies, has announced a new partnership with Novo Nordisk, one of the leading healthcare companies in the world, aimed at meeting the ambitious target of the healthcare company to reach zero CO2 emissions from operations and transport by 2030. Novo Nordisk will deploy 12 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in order to replace fossil fuel for all Kuehne+Nagel air freight shipments in 2022.

Having set ambitious carbon reduction targets, Kuehne+Nagel actively supports customers with their transition to a low carbon business model by providing various solutions for reducing or avoiding carbon emissions. As one of the key activities, Kuehne+Nagel continues to invest into the adoption of alternative aviation fuels and expand its offering. Novo Nordisk chose the Kuehne+Nagel sustainable fuel solution to reduce the environmental footprint of their air freight shipments in 2022. Use of 12 million litres of Kuehne+Nagel SAF for all Novo Nordisk air freight avoids direct emission of around 30,000 tonnes of CO2.

Such commitment underlines a growing demand for low carbon shipping options, leading to an increase in the production, development and deployment of SAF. In this effort, Kuehne+Nagel has been actively raising awareness across the industry by promoting the importance of sustainable fuels as the most effective measure to reduce the environmental footprint of air freight.

Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel responsible for Air Logistics, comments: “Novo Nordisk is not only leading the way in driving change to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases, but also in their shipping by using sustainable options. I am pleased that with our global SAF solutions, customers can easily switch to low carbon air transport. It’s another step on the way to the “zero impact” goal and yet another signal for more sustainable fuel production and use globally.”

Dorethe Nielsen, Vice President of Corporate Environmental Strategy at Novo Nordisk comments: “This is yet another step in Novo Nordisk’s continuous support of the development of sustainable aviation fuel. Our air freight accounts for most of our product distribution emissions as we provide life-saving medicines to patients around the world. We want to drive change in this area to help pave the way for other companies to also transition and cut emissions.”

By joining the Science Based Targets initiative, Kuehne+Nagel has set ambitious environmental goals in transitioning to a low carbon business model. This is is done by reducing the company’s own carbon emissions and supporting its customers with their transition.

Learn more about sustainable fuels here.