DB Schenker and Ekornes start long-haul transport route on biogas

DB Schenker and Ekornes have ambitious environmental strategies and are working together towards cleaner transport. They have now established a new long-haul transport route between the Ekornes warehouse in Sykkylven and The Port of Oslo.

It will be served by semi-trolleys with export goods from Ekornes and imported goods for the production in Sykkylven. This environmental initiative will ensure a further improvement of the environmental footprint of the value chain at Ekornes.

Environmentally friendly distribution in cities is developing well. However, range is a challenge if you are going to drive electric over longer distances, and here biogas is the closest solution today. The filling network is under development, and Ekornes wants to be an early adopter of increasing the carbon neutrality of their products. “When you relax in a Stressless product from Ekornes, you should know that we are continuously working on the entire production process for a more sustainable value chain”, says Jan Robert Lyngvær, Logistics Director at Ekornes.

"DB Schenker and Ekornes have entered into a long-term agreement for the establishment of this specific route. For us, this is an important part of DB Schenker's environmental strategy to operate 100% carbon neutral fleet in the future. To get there, we also need to work closely and greenly with our customers, and thus gradually phase traditional energy sources, says Knut Eriksmoen, CEO DB Schenker in Norway.

"A significant environmental responsibility related to own production and distribution is clearly enshrined in Ekornes' climate strategy. This initiative is part of realizing this strategy and ensuring an actual reduction of emissions on our transports," says Jan Robert Lyngvær. "To ensure sufficient range, we have chosen to go for biogas on this route. Our suppliers' focus and ability to implement sustainability is important for our success. This is one of several concrete environmental measures that we are taking in collaboration with DB Schenker, which is as forward-looking as Ekornes in this initiative," continues Lyngvær.

The biogas filling network is under development in Norway and this route has been dependent on the establishment of the energy station at Digerneset in Ålesund municipality. Further development and a good pace of this are crucial for the further conversion to biogas in the logistics market.

The agreement between Ekornes and DB Schenker was made in early 2021. This is to be ready when the infrastructure is in place. The companies have had fruitful environmental cooperation over time. Larger volumes have been moved from road to sea, and together with Kongsberg Maritime and Massterly they are developing an electrically autonomous container ship that will run between Ikornnes port and Ålesund port.