Emissions

Absolute CO₂e emissions (market-based)

in tonnes, base year 2018

In order to effectively mitigate climate change, HHLA focuses on lowering its absolute CO₂e emissions. By steadily increasing its energy efficiency and the proportion of renewables in its energy mix, HHLA aims to decouple handling and transport volumes on the one hand and CO₂e emissions on the other.

CO₂ equivalents (CO₂e) have been reported since the 2022 financial year, so that in addition to the climate impact of pure CO₂ emissions, the climate impact of other greenhouse gases (such as N₂O) is also taken into account in the survey of CO₂ equivalents. These values are almost comparable. It was decided not to adjust the greenhouse gas balance retroactively for the years 2018 to 2021.

HHLA calculates its CO₂e emissions on the basis of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard (Revised Edition), an international standard for recording greenhouse gas emissions. The calculation takes into account tank-to-wheel emissions for the fuels and market-based emission factors. The emission factors for fossil fuels were taken from the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework 2.0. In order to make it easier to compare data with the published data from previous years, it was decided not to switch to the GLEC Framework 3.0 standard in the reporting period. The emission factors used for electricity, for which no market-based emission factors are available, were published by the IEA (International Energy Agency).

The greenhouse gases emitted by the HHLA Group mainly relate to CO₂. These are primarily influenced by throughput volumes at the port and inland terminals, rail transport volumes and the proportion of electricity from renewable sources. This reporting period marks the first time that HHLA is stating the CO₂e emissions separately according to site-based and market-based emissions factors. The market-based emissions factors show the electricity obtained from renewable sources and were classified as zero local emissions pursuant to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol calculation. The power needed by a port terminal depends largely on the number of seaborne containers it handles and the number of containers transported over land by rail and truck.

HHLA uses the relevant seaborne and onshore throughput in containers as an indicator to determine specific CO₂e emissions in line with the recommendations of the European Economics Environment Group (EEEG). The recommendations of the EEEG working group are also taken into account in GLEC Framework 2.0.

The central importance of reduced absolute CO₂e emissions is expressed by HHLA’s climate protection target: to reduce absolute CO₂e emissions by at least 50 % by 2030 and to become fully climate-neutral by 2040. The base year is 2018.

In a comparison between the base year and the reporting year, absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO₂e emissions decreased by 42.1 % to 98,603 tonnes (2018: 170,346 tonnes), representing a year-on-year decrease of 6.5 % (previous year: 105,453 t).

Site-based CO₂e emissions were calculated at 179,695 tonnes during the reporting year.

The level of CO₂e emissions was influenced in particular by three developments in 2024:

• The switch over to electricity from renewable sources for the Hamburg sites.
• An increase in energy consumption in the Intermodal segment due to higher volumes.
• The first-time recognition of CO₂e emissions of volatile coolants from air-conditioning systems.

The share of electricity in the Group’s overall energy consumption rose from 63.9 % in the previous year to 64.9 % in the reporting period. This represents a new record high within the HHLA Group and, above all, reflects the Group’s electrification measures. The proportion of renewables in HHLA’s overall power consumption increased to 70.2 % in the reporting period (previous year: 58.8 %). In the reporting period, the proportion of renewables in overall energy consumption stood at 45.5 % (previous year: 37.5 %). While 207.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity was procured from renewable energy sources in the previous year, this volume increased by 30.8 % to 271.3 GWh in the reporting period. Traction-related CO₂e emissions due to the use of electric locomotives increased by 2.4 % to 33,220 tonnes during the reporting period (previous year: 32,426 tonnes).

Direct and indirect CO₂e emissions

in thousand tonnes, base year 2018

Electricity from renewables was used in the following areas in the reporting year:

• for electric rail transport conducted by METRANS companies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.
• For the sites occupied by HHLA in Hamburg and iSAM AG in Mülheim.
• At sites with their own photovoltaic systems in Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary, the electricity generated was predominantly used internally.

Trends in specific CO₂e emissions

Specific CO₂e emissions compared with 2008 in %

The absolute CO₂e emissions of the four pure container terminals operated by HHLA – i.e. CTA, CTB, CTT and CTO – fell by 9,392 tonnes to 30,410 tonnes compared with the previous year. Compared with the base year 2008, specific CO₂e emissions fell by 59.5 %. Activities organised and carried out at HHLA terminals by third parties that resulted in CO₂e emissions are not included in the statistics.

A three-year average showing annual trends in specific CO₂ emissions forms part of the targets agreed with the Executive Board. This is taken into account when determining Executive Board remuneration. Achieving the agreed target range triggers the payment of a corresponding bonus. Remuneration report and remuneration system

Certified climate neutrality

CTA in Hamburg is the world’s first certified climate-neutral container handling facility. It is largely electrified, using power from renewable energy sources. Terminal processes that still produce CO₂e emissions are being gradually electrified or the transition to electricity is being field-tested. During the reporting period, the CO₂e emissions of CTA were calculated by TÜV Nord in accordance with DIN ISO 14064-3:2000 and its climate-neutral status certified with the TN-CC-020 standard. This takes into account emissions from stationary combustion (natural gas) and mobile combustion (diesel), from imported electricity (market-based approach), from the upstream supply chains of all energy sources used and from employee commuting. All unavoidable CO₂e emissions resulting from container throughput (including the calculated Scope 3 emissions), amounting to 5,125 tonnes (previous year: 7,409 tonnes), were offset via Gold Standard compensation projects.

CO₂e emissions for transporting a standard container to and from Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Duisburg, Rotterdam, Gdansk, Malaszewicze, Trieste, Rijeka and Koper within the METRANS network, as verified by the independent certification body TÜV Nord, form the basis for the climate-neutral product HHLA Pure.

HHLA Pure represents climate-neutral container handling and transport in accordance with the TÜV-Nord standard TN-CC-020, which takes into account emissions from stationary and mobile combustion, like natural gas or diesel, as well as from imported electricity. In accordance with this standard, emissions were reduced as much as possible. All CO₂e emissions deemed unavoidable in the reporting period, amounting to 62,664 tonnes (previous year: 51,344 tonnes), were offset via Gold Standard climate protection compensation projects. During the reporting period, a total of 1,105 standard containers (TEU) were transported on a climate-neutral basis with HHLA Pure (previous year: 940 thousand TEU).

Measures to reduce CO₂e emissions

The existing programme to boost energy efficiency and lower CO₂e emissions within individual HHLA companies was continued during the reporting period with a variety of measures. These include retrofitting and equipping with more energy-efficient technologies, such as the expansion of the fleet of battery-powered tractor units at CTA, and the expansion of the electrified storage crane system at CTB.