Lufthansa Cargo has landed one of the 2012 internationally renowned ÖkoGlobe awards for ecological innovations in recognition of its development and use of lightweight containers. The cargo airline won third place in the mobility platform and logistics structure category after Volkswagen and Deutsche Post.

Lufthansa Cargo Manager Markus Witte, under whose management the container was developed, emphasised at the presentation ceremony in Cologne: “It is becoming increasingly evident that the mobility industry is investing substantially in innovation and making immense efforts proactively in order to reduce CO2 emissions. We are proud that Lufthansa Cargo has won recognition for its lightweight containers with this environmental award, which has previously been captured mainly by the automotive industry. That motivates us to continue developing innovative and environmentally friendly ideas.”

In cooperation with its Jettainer subsidiary, Lufthansa Cargo has initiated a large-scale replacement programme involving the use of around 5,000 lightweight containers made from composite material in the next few years. The new-type containers, 13 kilos lighter than conventional aluminium containers, appreciably lower the fuel burn of aircraft and their CO2 emissions.

The ÖkoGlobe award, conferred in ten different categories, is the international environmental prize for the mobility industry and its suppliers. It was jointly initiated by the DEVK insurance group, TÜV Rhineland and the ÖkoGlobe Institute of Duisburg-Essen University.

For its efforts in the interest of sustainability, the Lufthansa Group landed several other prestigious awards in 2012, among them the Eco Aviation Award from the US Air Transport World magazine, the Airline Strategy Award in the Environment category from the British Airline Business magazine and top honours within the airline industry in the “Doing it All” category at the World Savers Awards from the US Condé Nast Traveller travel magazine.