Energy Management

Effective energy management can bring both environmental and economic benefits and is therefore critical for us to achieve our targets when it comes to climate protection. We primarily use it to use energy intelligently and, above all, to increase our efficiency. Our environmental and energy policy, which is publicly available, is also in line with this. It commits us, among other things, to continually reduce both our energy consumption and our emissions and to continually improve our performance in the overarching areas of energy and the environment. www.blg-logistics.com/en/sustainability

Energy planning is carried out at our sites by the local energy officers. In addition to systematic data collection, they are also responsible for regular energy assessments and the documentation of the planned and implemented measures. All activities at our sites are monitored and controlled by a Corporate Controlling department. In addition, certification of our energy management system according to ISO 50001 is being rolled out across the board. Currently, 27 sites in the CONTRACT Division are certified under the standard and the energy management system used in the AUTOMOBILE Division was also prepared for the upcoming certification during the reporting year. In this way, we are continuing to drive forward harmonization in the BLG Group. Since 2014, our environmental management system has also been certified in accordance with ISO 14001 at all German car terminals and transport bases of the AUTOMOBILE Division, as well as at 13 CONTRACT sites.

Data as a basis for optimization

We want to use less energy in the long term and thus also further reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, we must first clearly assess the energy requirements of our processes and facilities. Our energy officers collect the required information by recording, validating and evaluating energy data relating to the individual sites in a decentralized process. The only exceptions are sites whose energy needs we cannot control ourselves. The Corporate Sustainability Department combines the consumption of all consolidated companies and uses this to prepare the annual energy and CO₂ inventory. As part of the ESG reporting implemented in 2024, we also record and report our key performance indicators relating to energy and greenhouse gases on a quarterly basis.

We are constantly working to make the underlying data even more transparent and precise – also so that we can record and assess the effects of individual measures in the best possible way. To this end, the EnEffCo energy management software provides support by more detailed and largely automated recording and evaluating our energy consumption so we can better identify specific savings potentials. In 2025, more German sites will also be connected to the tool, so monitoring can take place across sites and divisions via custom dashboards. Gaps, anomalies and weaknesses have been revealed in the records compiled to date, and we will close or eliminate these in the future with optimized validation. In addition, we will introduce new key performance indicators and collect additional data.

Energy consumption in the reporting year

Compared to the previous year, we have once again reduced our total energy consumption – and by a very significant 8.2 percent to 189 GWh. This reduction applies to all energy sources, with the exception of CNG and LNG. In addition to various measures to increase efficiency, which we will look at in more detail below, business and weather-related circumstances, which we cannot actively influence, also contributed to this development. These result in natural fluctuations in our energy requirements and are thus reflected in the accounting.

Percentage share of energy consumption 2024

Breakdown by division and business area

Percentage share of energy consumption 2024

Breakdown by energy source

Efficiency thanks to smart lighting concepts

In the reporting year, we continued or successfully completed a number of projects, including the ongoing conversion of our properties and spaces to energy-efficient LED lighting. When we implement completely new lighting concepts, our focus is on intelligent and automated control, with the help of motion and twilight sensors, for example, in addition to efficient lighting itself. Our C3 Bremen logistics center impressively demonstrates how effective the combination of energy-efficient lighting and demand-optimized lighting duration is: compared to conventional LED hall lighting, we were able to reduce the energy required for lighting the property by 82 percent in the reporting year.

Promoting knowledge through skills and exchange

Keeping our employees informed on energy efficiency topics is also a building block of our energy management strategy. For this purpose, we use different formats from training sessions to posts on our digital channels. In 2024, we shared news on the progress of our measures in our employee app, such as the expansion of the charging infrastructure for employee cars or other energy-related topics relevant to people at BLG. An e-learning module on environmental and energy management raises awareness of the contribution each and every individual can make on a daily basis. Around 1,500 employees have already successfully completed the online training. In this way, we ensure that BLG employees are aware of our environmental and energy policy and the associated corporate objectives.

In addition, energy management and efficiency are regularly discussed with the energy officers at our sites. In this context, specific information is provided on, for example, legal developments or savings potentials and energy officers can address energy-related topics or ask questions. In this way, we promote exchange and knowledge transfer among the sites. Of particular note for the reporting year was our Technology Meeting, TechnikTreffen, where energy officers from all over Germany met for two days in Bremen. In addition to personal networking and discussing topics relating to energy – both with reference to a specific site and company-wide – load peaks in electricity procurement was the topic of focus. With the help of our energy management software, site-specific evaluations of load profiles were created, evaluated and analyzed with the aim of avoiding or reducing peaks. A meeting is also planned for 2025.

Clean energy – self-produced

Since 2019, our first photovoltaic system at the Kelheim car terminal, located on the roof of the technical hall, has been producing electricity for the processes performed there, with a generator area of 430 m² and an output of 74 kWp. In addition, a few years later, a second system with a generator area of 2,000 m² and an output of 400 kWp was installed on a car stacking system at the same location. Three additional storage batteries enable storage of up to 210 kWh for later use in the event of overproduction. The system not only supplies energy for lighting the car stacking system, but it also supplies Wallboxes for charging electric cars. Since 2020, our location in Waiblingen has also been supplied with renewable electricity through a PV system. In October 2023, a fourth PV system, which is the largest so far with an output of around 9 MWp, was finally connected to the grid and is located on the roof of our C3 logistics center in Bremen.

Together, in 2024, we were able to cover around 1,500 MWh of our electricity needs with the PV systems at our sites, which is triple compared to the previous year. We are continually reviewing expansion at other sites and already have concrete plans.

However, fully covering the electricity demand at our sites using local PV systems is still not realistic in the future. In order to ensure a complete supply of green electricity, we have set ourselves a clear goal: from 2025, we will get 100 percent of our electricity from renewable sources (more on this in the Climate Protection section).

Target:

100 %

of purchased electricity from 2025 will be green

Our Sustainability Targets

Regenerative heat supply has an impact

Since the reporting year, our first air-to-air heat pump has been supplying heat to the C3 Logistics Center. The heating system is a bivalent system in which peak load coverage is achieved via gas fired tube heaters. Compared with a monovalent system, significantly higher annual performance factors are achieved, so the system runs particularly efficiently. From August to December 2024 alone, the pump generated around 500 MWh of heat, which reduced the natural gas demand at the site by roughly half for those months. In particular, the combination of heat pump and PV system represents a future-proof, low-emission option for heating the property. In the five months evaluated, we reduced emissions at the site by around 70 t CO₂e. The purchase of green electricity described above will significantly increase this value again as of 2025.

In testing and in use: alternative drives and fuels

Our BLG AutoTransport company offers car transport for new and used vehicles and, in the reporting year, maintained its own fleet of 200 trucks in Germany, all of which meet the EURO 6 standard. In 2024, we acquired a total of 48 efficient new vehicles – the continual rejuvenation of the fleet is also reflected in a gain in efficiency that has been evident since 2018. With an average consumption of 29.3 l/100 km, the figures for previous years were undercut once again. Consistently evaluating drivers’ driving behavior in combination with appropriate training also helps drivers to adopt a driving style that saves fuel.

Specific diesel consumption of our own car transport fleet (Germany)

l/100 kilometers

Coupled with intelligent route planning, we are reducing our absolute fuel consumption. In addition, it will also become more important to consider alternative drive forms, in particular the electrification of heavy payload transport. In two operational test runs in the CONTRACT and AUTOMOBILE Divisions, we have already tested e-trucks in various applications. Even if the tests were to be classified as successful, a transition to regular operation is not yet possible for economic reasons. In particular, the decisive factor here is the high investment volume – in terms of the vehicles themselves and the required infrastructure – coupled with inadequate promotional programs. Nevertheless, we are continuing to look at ways to ramp up electric tractors in our network.

HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) offers a transitional solution for decarbonizing heavy payload transport, and been authorized for sale in pure form at public gas stations in Germany since April 2024. HVO100 is a paraffinic diesel fuel made from 100 percent hydrogenated waste-based vegetable oils or animal fats. In the reporting year, we used it for various purposes, both in car transport and truck deliveries to plants. A challenge when using HVO is the creditability of emission reductions to shippers. This can be remedied by using the Book & Claim method, which we offer this with the help of a service provider. In this way, emission savings made through HVO can be documented and reported on a consignment-specific and customer-specific basis.