Nagel-Group Implements Book & Claim to Decarbonize Logistics

The situation

Nagel-Group, a leading European food logistics company, faced a structural challenge in 2025: customers were demanding decarbonized transport solutions, but the company's fleet electrification programme was progressing at a pace that could not meet these expectations in the near term. The gap between customer demand and operational capability created pressure to find an intermediate solution that could deliver measurable emissions reductions without waiting for the wholesale replacement of combustion-engine vehicles.

The core problem was one of timing and scope. While fleet electrification represents a long-term decarbonization strategy, it requires substantial capital investment and takes years to execute. Nagel-Group needed a way to provide Scope 3 CO₂e emissions reductions to customers immediately—a requirement that traditional logistics infrastructure could not satisfy alone.

The approach

Nagel-Group drew on an existing relationship with shipzero, a partner the company had engaged since 2023 for emissions tracking. In 2025, the two organisations moved beyond tracking to implementation of shipzero's Book & Claim solution, a mechanism that allows logistics companies to attribute sustainable fuel use to specific shipments and provide customers with corresponding emissions reductions.

The implementation required three core activities. First, Nagel-Group undertook a comprehensive cleanup of master data—the foundational records that underpin accurate emissions accounting. Second, the company incorporated an HVO fuel booking registry, establishing the infrastructure to track and allocate hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a lower-carbon fuel option, to individual customer shipments. Third, they integrated claiming and accounting capabilities into their operational systems, enabling customers to receive verified Scope 3 emissions reductions for the shipments they contracted.

Nagel-Group implemented Book & Claim in fall 2025.

This approach allowed the company to offer customers immediate decarbonization benefits without requiring a complete fleet transition, while maintaining the credibility of emissions accounting through structured data management and fuel registry systems.

What happened

The implementation of Book & Claim gave Nagel-Group the ability to deliver Scope 3 CO₂e emissions reductions to customers on a shipment-by-shipment basis. By booking HVO fuel to specific transport movements and allowing customers to claim the associated emissions reductions, the company created a mechanism for immediate decarbonization impact.

The solution bridged the operational reality of a large logistics fleet—which cannot be electrified overnight—with customer expectations for measurable progress on emissions. Customers could now see concrete Scope 3 reductions attributed to their shipments, providing both environmental benefit and progress toward their own decarbonization targets.

The takeaway

Nagel-Group's adoption of Book & Claim in 2025 illustrates how logistics companies operating in Europe can respond to customer demand for decarbonization without waiting for fleet electrification to mature. By implementing structured fuel booking and claims mechanisms, supported by rigorous data management and existing partner relationships, large logistics operators can deliver immediate emissions reductions while continuing longer-term capital investments in vehicle technology. The model demonstrates that interim solutions can provide measurable environmental value and customer satisfaction during the transition to fully decarbonized transport infrastructure.