As a constantly growing company with a wide range of business areas, energy is continuously required within the Zeppelin Group. Zeppelin has defined strategic and operational objectives in the course of the efficiency concept in order to minimize the environmental impact of the energy consumption of our business operations and to improve energy and environmental performance.
Progress in carbon neutrality
- Carbon neutral in ongoing business operations by 2030 (Scope 1 & 2 market-based)
- Reduce CO2 emissions by 46% by 2027 (base year 2022, Scope 1 & 2 market-based)1
The Zeppelin Group has set itself the target of being a net-zero carbon company in its ongoing business operations by 2030 at the latest. Greenwashing is rejected and compensation measures are the last option for offsetting CO2 emissions. CO2 emissions are therefore reported once in accordance with the Green House Gas Protocol, a globally recognized standard, including emissions from Scope 1 and 2. Since 2021, CO2 emissions have been calculated using the market-based and location-based method. The market-based method refers to the emissions of the electricity supplier or an individual electricity product, whereas the location-based approach refers to the average emission factors of the country where electricity consumption takes place. If there are specific emission factors of the respective energy supplier, these were used for the calculation of CO2 emissions (market-based).
Compared with the previous year, CO2 emissions (market-based) were reduced by 5.9%. The main reasons for this are various energy-saving measures, building renovations, the expansion of renewable energies and the switch to green electricity.
The implementation of carbon neutrality by itself means investing heavily, for example, for energy-efficient renovation or construction of new sites, the installation of photovoltaic systems or the gradual conversion to more energy-efficient plant and equipment. To achieve the goal of carbon neutrality, targets and measures were defined at SBU and national company level in 2021 to reduce CO2 emissions as part of the Group Strategy Call. This includes the desired switch to 100% green electricity within the German companies, which, for example, was successfully implemented at our largest supplier Stadtwerk am See by the end of 2023. All other measures will now be implemented step by step by 2030. A detailed description can be found in the Measures area.
| Change in CO2 emissions (Scope 1 & 2) | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 | to CO2e | 38,537 | 36,843 | 35,709 |
| Scope 2 (location-based) | to CO2e | 16,951 | 15,199 | 14,762 |
| Scope 2 (market-based) | to CO2e | 7,706 | 6,916 | 5,463 |
| CO2 emissions – Scope 1 & 2 (location-based) | to CO2e | 55,488 | 52,041 | 50,471 |
| CO2 emissions – Scope 1 & 2 (market-based) | to CO2e | 46,243 | 43,759 | 41,172 |
| SBU | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| location based | market based | location based | market based | location based | market based | ||
| Construction Equipment Central Europe SBU | to CO2e | 19,788 | 16,871 | 18,383 | 15,653 | 17,734 | 15,044 |
| Construction Equipment Nordics SBU | to CO2e | 4,131 | 3,648 | 4,933 | 3,628 | 5,006 | 3,305 |
| Construction Equipment Eurasia SBU | to CO2e | 10,583 | 10,094 | 8,613 | 8,591 | 5,965 | 5,965 |
| Rental SBU | to CO2e | 10,595 | 9,212 | 10,400 | 9,141 | 12,026 | 10,591 |
| Power Systems SBU | to CO2e | 3,271 | 2,531 | 3,109 | 2,381 | 3,171 | 2,359 |
| Plant Engineering SBU | to CO2e | 5,865 | 3,427 | 5,540 | 3,865 | 5,506 | 3,615 |
| Zeppelin GmbH (holding company) | to CO2e | 1,255 | 460 | 1,063 | 500 | 1,063 | 293 |
| Zeppelin Group | to CO2e | 55,488 | 46,243 | 52,041 | 43,759 | 50,471 | 41,172 |
As explained in section 4.8, Zeppelin will also set targets for Scope 3 emissions in the future and determine these annually.
- Reduce energy consumption by 1% annually between 2021 and 2025 (electricity, heat)
- Reduce energy consumption (excluding mobility) per EUR million in sales by 9.5% by 2027 (base year 2022)1
The total energy consumption results from the individual consumption per Group company and is stated in megawatt hours (MWh).2 In the 2023 reporting year, an absolute reduction in energy consumption of 5,459 MWh (-2.9%) was recorded. The largest share of this is due to reduced electricity and heat consumption (-3,464 MWh). The main reasons are the successful implementation of energy saving measures taken at several sites as part of the modernization strategy. Added to this is the fact that Germany had a comparatively mild year in 2023, which is associated with low heating demand. Therefore, progress has been made towards objective 3.
| SBU | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Equipment Central Europe SBU | MWh | 71,510 | 67,635 | 65,333 |
| Construction Equipment Nordics SBU | MWh | 18,290 | 20,372 | 20,892 |
| Construction Equipment Eurasia SBU | MWh | 36,046 | 30,829 | 21,303 |
| Rental SBU | MWh | 37,020 | 37,134 | 42,924 |
| Power Systems SBU | MWh | 11,830 | 11,186 | 11,411 |
| Plant Engineering SBU | MWh | 19,602 | 19,052 | 18,789 |
| Zeppelin GmbH (holding company) | MWh | 3,469 | 2,999 | 2,999 |
| Zeppelin Group3 | MWh | 197,767 | 189,207 | 183,651 |
| 3 Total energy consumption excluding HVO, ethanol and CNG. |
| Type of energy | Unit | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumption of natural/liquid/propane gas | MWh | 43,541 | 36,276 | 32,244 |
| District/local heating consumption | MWh | 9,405 | 10,189 | 10,165 |
| Heating oil consumption | MWh | 2,382 | 2,795 | 2,574 |
| Diesel consumption (heating) | MWh | 0 | 5 | 136 |
| Total heat consumption | MWh | 55,328 | 49,265 | 47,119 |
| Electricity consumption | MWh | 32,154 | 30,765 | 28,845 |
| Electricity consumption (fleet) | MWh | N/A | N/A | 602 |
| Total power consumption | MWh | 32,154 | 30,765 | 29,447 |
| Diesel consumption (fleet) | MWh | 98,732 | 98,065 | 96,645 |
| Diesel consumption (other) | MWh | 1,105 | 616 | 1,258 |
| Gasoline consumption | MWh | 9,665 | 9,613 | 7,694 |
| Consumption of HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil) | MWh | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Ethanol consumption | MWh | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| CNG | MWh | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Total fuel consumption | MWh | 109,502 | 108,294 | 105,696 |
| Consumption of renewable energies | MWh | 783 | 883 | 1,486 |
| Total energy consumption | MWh | 197,767 | 189,207 | 183,748 |
| Energy consumption excluding mobility | MWh | - | 81,529 | 77,314 |
| Energy consumption (excluding mobility) per EUR million in sales | MWh/€ million in sales | - | 21.2 | 19.7 |
| 4 No steam energy is consumed. Cooling energy is included in the power consumption, e.g. when air conditioning units are operated. No external energy is sold to third parties. Energy consumption is instead attributable to internal demand. | ||||
The majority of energy consumption was due to the use of fuels: Around 58% of the total worldwide energy consumption in 2023 was caused by diesel and gasoline consumption. This includes the consumption of service vehicles for travel to the customer’s premises, to the construction site or to the plant, as well as the fuel consumption of company vehicles for employees entitled to use one.
The development of the performance indicators shows both decreasing CO2 emissions and decreasing energy consumption each year. The total energy consumption and the CO2 emissions (Scope 1 & 2 – market-based) in relation to the number of employees (FTE) and the revenue generated were used for the calculation. The performance indicator for objective 4 is based on total energy consumption excluding mobility. Total energy consumption excluding mobility decreased by 7.5% in relation to sales compared with the base year 2022. As a result, the new intermediate target was achieved.
4 The performance indicators per employee in 2021 and 2022 have changed slightly due to a changed data base.
Measures in 2023
Modernization strategy for the sites
The Zeppelin Group has set itself the target of being a net-zero carbon company by 2030 at the latest. For the real estate sector, this means that no more CO2 emissions may be released from the operation of the buildings used by Zeppelin. The CSR strategy adopted for this purpose is based on five key measures: insulating the building envelope, modernizing the building technology, using photovoltaic systems and (if possible) geothermal energy as well as electric mobility. Measures are also being implemented to reduce fresh water consumption. All upcoming new construction projects also follow the specifications of climate neutrality in their planning and implementation. As part of the CSR activities, the Smartmeter project was also launched to digitally record and evaluate all consumption data (electricity, water, gas) at the sites. This also further optimizes the various types of consumption.
- Ulm, Freiburg and Rendsburg: In 2023, the sites in Ulm, Freiburg and Rendsburg were renovated with energy-efficient measures. The Rendsburg and Freiburg sites were converted to heat pumps in conjunction with photovoltaic systems. At the Ulm site, we opted to convert to district heating, which comes as waste heat from thermal waste treatment.
- Friedrichshafen: Comprehensive modernization work started on the Ludwig-Dürr Hall in Friedrichshafen in June 2023. Approximately 8,000 square meters of hall walls will be replaced, old existing walls will be replaced with high-quality insulated walls in a double-shell design and the exterior walls will be extensively lined with PV modules. The heating energy demand is expected to fall by 1,000 megawatt hours per year, which could save roughly 220 metric tons of CO2. The installed PV power is expected to be 468 kilowatts peak and will be used to supply the site. The measures will be implemented in ongoing operations by 2025 and are intended to contribute to a reduction of approx. 50% of the building’s total energy requirements.
- Armenia: In 2023, a photovoltaic system with a total output of 152.6 kilowatt peaks was installed at Zeppelin’s Abovyan site in Armenia, which can generate approximately 229,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity annually.
- Photovoltaics (PV) and light-emitting diodes (LED): Twelve additional sites worldwide have been using photovoltaic systems since the reporting year and further conversions to LED lighting have been carried out.
New construction at the Eschweiler site
At the end of 2023, the new building was commissioned at our approximately 24,000 square meter site in Eschweiler. The building, which is used by two Zeppelin companies, is equipped with a modern air source heat pump that ensures efficient heating of the office and workshop areas. The electricity required for this comes from 100% renewable energy sources. In addition to the high energy standards, the washing hall has also been equipped with resource-saving technology (see 8.3 Reduce water consumption).
E-mobility at Zeppelin
On January 1, 2021, the Zeppelin Group added electric and hybrid vehicles to its fleet used by German companies. Vehicles with an electric or hybrid drive are significantly lower in emissions than those with conventional combustion engines. Zeppelin can therefore significantly reduce its CO2 emissions, which are largely caused by the fleet. Compared with the previous year, the proportion of electric and hybrid vehicles in Group-wide company vehicles (passenger cars) increased from 8 to 14%. Electric-powered company vehicles saw the greatest increase with 95 new vehicles (+194%). A pilot project to convert service vehicles to electric drive was also initiated. The electric vehicles can be charged via the charging network at Zeppelin, which is currently being built. In 2023, Zeppelin had 283 electric charging stations at its Group-wide sites. As part of the modernization strategy, additional sites will be gradually equipped with charging stations in the coming years.
1 Target adjustment compared with previous year: New intermediate target added
2 The total energy consumption shown includes a small percentage of forecast consumption (less than 5%).