85,000 Euros for Climate Protection

Paderborn, 16 February 2024. “We are restoring the wetlands” – the general cargo network Online Systemlogistik is donating 85,000 euros to the Northern German nature conservation foundation “Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein” to contribute directly to restoring the Herrenmoor peat bogs. Restoring the wetlands will save around 2,600 tons of greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents) every year in the future. 

Online Systemlogistik introduced the environmental product “Online Green Cargo” a year ago. A feature of this service: 50 cents per shipment go towards an environmental project to reduce CO2. A total of 77,608.50 euros was raised this way, and OSL’s management rounded the sum up to 85,000 euros. 

A New Start for Green Cargo

The demand for Green Cargo has dropped under the impact of the current economic situation with increasing energy costs, toll adjustments, and lower demand; many companies want or are forced to reduce costs. Consequently, Online Systemlogistik has modified its offer: the 50-cent surcharge is no longer mandatory but can be booked optionally – for all OSL services, not just Green Cargo shipments. “This way we can put the option of a climate donation on a broader footing,” Petra Welling explained, Online Systemlogistik’s Managing Director. “Now, anyone booking a Premium or Express Cargo Shipment can also contribute to climate protection.” 

The environmentally friendly transport service “Online Green Cargo” is still on offer throughout Germany. It provides for optimized routes with a high stop density and a standard delivery time between 24 and 72 hours. However, this service and an optional climate contribution will not be enough to satisfy customer demand for sustainable transport solutions in the future. Therefore, OSL is working on further measures to register and reduce emissions in general cargo transport. 

The Conservation Foundation in Schleswig-Holstein and the Herrenmoor Climate Project 

The “Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein,” a public-law charitable foundation, has been in existence since 1978. Its goal is to purchase, lease, or otherwise secure land by civil law in Schleswig-Holstein that is of particular importance for conserving nature and the ecosystem. Currently, 22,000 hectares of peatland are included in the 38,000 hectares of land belonging to the foundation. 

Since the mid-1700s, most of the peat bogs in Schleswig-Holstein have been drained to provide land for agriculture. During the last 45 years, the Stiftung Naturschutz Schleswig-Holstein has been restoring sections of these degraded bogs. In part, this is aimed at furthering biodiversity and saving the last natural habitats for rare species typical to this environment, and in part it is for climate protection. Drained bogs constantly emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – 2.8 million tons per year in Schleswig-Holstein alone. One of the foundation’s goals is to re-wet 20,000 hectares of drained peat bogs by 2030 and thus to store carbon dioxide in the ground. 

Online Systemlogistik’s donation will be used for re-wetting the Herrenmoor bog near Kleve, around 60 kilometres northwest of Hamburg. Increasing the water level to ground level will already result in a strong reduction of CO2 emissions. On the mid- to long-term, when peat begins to grow again, it will become a carbon sink, actively binding atmospheric CO2.