The Styrian shipping company wants to become climate neutral

Regardless of whether it is a forklift or a truck, the transport company Matzhold runs all its vehicles exclusively on biofuel. Company owner Johannes Matzhold says this change should not only contribute to climate protection, but should also reduce fuel consumption by up to six percent.

Conversion to larger tanks is necessary

The lower costs resulting from climate certifications are intended to make the transportation business future-proof, especially for industrial customers, “who really have to prove how their supply chain is structured or the whole CO2 emissions issue from production to the end customer.” “, says the freight forwarder in East Styria.

However, the change also involves a huge effort for the company, as HVO is not yet common at petrol stations across Europe. In order to keep the trucks mobile over long distances, the tanks of the transport vehicles had to be expanded, says Matzhold: “We had to convert our internal fuel station in preparation for this. The other problem with the vehicles was to plan everything in such a way that we could create as much fuel space as possible – That is, the largest possible tanks so that we can cover the roads we drive at the national and international levels with this fuel.

Carbon dioxide emissions decreased eight-fold

But the logistics company is also trying to contribute to climate protection in other areas. For example, the electricity consumption at the company's headquarters in Unterfladnitz will be covered by photovoltaic systems. The goal is to be the first transport company to become climate neutral with all these measures: “We are on the right track and have now reduced CO2 emissions from about 4,700 to 4,800 tons per year to less than 600 with the first change.” Matzhold says: So far, we support this, as 120 thousand euros have been invested.