hasenkamp Group, hasenkamp, hasenkamp Fine Art

Focusing on sustainable art logistics

27.10.2022

Thomas Schneider speaks about sustainable art logistics at the Logistics Summit in Hamburg

When it comes to combating climate change, Hasenkamp is increasingly relying on a collaborative approach together with museums, galleries, artists and collectors. CEO Thomas Schneider recently promoted this approach at various industry events.

Cologne / Frechen, 27 October 2022 – The goal is clear: the European Union (EU) aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050. This would make Europe the first continent to produce only unavoidable emissions, which would then also be fully offset. There is a long way to go to reach this goal, with many forks in the road and as yet uncharted territory that must be actively explored. For several years, the Cologne-based special logistics provider Hasenkamp has been gradually adapting its business model to these new requirements, with a focus on sustainable improvements that have a direct impact on the transport, warehousing and packaging of works of art and cultural goods. 

At the Logistics Summit in Hamburg and the annual meeting of the Federal Association of German Galleries and Art Dealers (BVDG) in Cologne, Thomas Schneider, CEO of Hasenkamp, called on the participants to pool their efforts and to keep an eye on the economic costs of fighting climate change. 

“Many measures that would be necessary and desirable are not yet possible or economically viable today. For instance, charging stations for electric trucks are simply not available on a large scale. In order to achieve the EU’s climate targets, we need a more courageous, technology-neutral spirit of innovation at all levels of the industry. We can immediately tackle some of these issues – but then we also have to bear the additional costs together”, says Thomas Schneider. According to Schneider’s much-noted address to this expert audience, significant improvements to the sustainability of art logistics are already possible today.

Optimisation through digitalisation and closed material cycles

More than ten years ago, Hasenkamp committed itself to the pursuit of goals related to quality, the environment and energy, as well as to the continuous improvement of the company. This ISO-certified process is audited by Dekra on an annual basis, which is an important prerequisite for reporting the related efforts and costs to public clients and customers in a transparent manner. At the BVDG meeting, Thomas Schneider explained the three building blocks of Hasenkamp’s activities in the area of sustainability:

Digital fleet control

To make its art logistics more sustainable, the company has recently invested in digital fleet management. Just by improving capacity utilisation and reducing the incidence of deadheading, the dispatchers are able to reduce carbon emissions by around five per cent. The fleet now includes its first electric vehicles, which serve as emission-free means of transport for staff and work materials, especially over short distances and in urban areas. 

Powering art warehouses with geothermal energy

The second building block is storage: for over 15 years, Hasenkamp has been a pioneer in powering buildings with geothermal energy. These art warehouses are conceived as low-energy buildings and rely on electricity alone for their energy supply. The most modern facilities either draw their power from renewable sources or are entirely self-sufficient thanks to photovoltaic systems and require no oil or gas whatsoever. Despite the large initial investment, these more than 100,000 square metres of storage space save costs in the long term by dispensing with fossil fuels and energy-related carbon emissions from day one. 

Offering innovative packaging systems for rent

The third building block is packaging: where possible, Hasenkamp’s art movers use packaging materials that are sustainable, or do without them altogether, as in the case of the Vario crate. Hasenkamp offers a rental service for this type of crate that is both ecologically and economically efficient. For decades, Hasenkamp’s research and development departments as well as the company’s own manufacturing facilities have been developing specialised packaging systems for various scenarios. Whether it’s a picture crate or a box for objects, Hasenkamp always pays attention to using sustainable raw materials, and to reusing and recycling them in a targeted manner in order to close the material cycle. 

With these building blocks – innovative transport systems, resource-saving warehouses and efficient shipments – Hasenkamp is putting its art logistics business on a future-proof footing. By investing in and optimising its processes, Hasenkamp demonstrates that a more sustainable art logistics is already possible today.