Committed to zero-emissions logistics by the year 2050

Frank Appel is convinced that Deutsche Post DHL Group, the German postal service and global logistics provider, will reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050. He also knows how it can be achieved: “We need new technology, but we also need a strong demand. I am sure engineers will be smart enough to deliver accordingly.” As for DHL Appel already sees a huge need. He is now looking for manufacturers that can support the goal “and whoever is first, will win.”

Appel sees e-commerce as being a fundamental way to reduce emissions. He argues that the more one buys online, the less one has to go out on the roads in one’s own vehicle. Traffic congestion is subsequently reduced, says Appel.

It comes across as a very bold statement. To illustrate his theory, Frank Appel makes an interesting calculation: He compares the carbon footprint of a parcel to emissions resulting from individual offline shopping. The result: A consumer may only drive his or her car three and a half miles to go shopping — a distance that is normally nowhere near sufficient.

Appel also occasionally buys offline in shops, food for example. For him, however, there is no product that cannot be purchased online. The whole world is proverbially at the customers’ finger tips in the internet. According to Appel, globalization in general has a positive effect as many people are living in better conditions than ever before. That is the reason why we have a more peaceful planet than in the past.