Book & Claim: Empowering customers to decarbonize supply chains for immediate Scope 3 emissions reductions

Challenge: Meeting customer demand without sacrificing business reality

As one of Europe's leading food logistics providers with a turnover of 2.3 billion euros and around 11,000 employees at more than 130 locations, Nagel-Group faced a familiar dilemma: their customers increasingly demanded decarbonized transport solutions, but operational reality couldn't keep pace.

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But the company's commitment to sustainability isn't merely reactive: it's embedded in their corporate strategy as a family-owned business founded in 1935. With ambitious goals to reduce transport-related CO₂ emissions by 40% by 2030 and achieve full carbon neutrality by 2045, Nagel-Group was driven by both intrinsic motivation and external pressure to find innovative solutions.

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The company required a bridging solution that would allow customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions immediately, without waiting years for complete fleet electrification. Internally, the value and opportunity for Book & Claim became clear within just a few weeks. The project team within Nagel-Group quickly mapped out which fuels they could source, where, and how to integrate them into operations.

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But first, Nagel-Group needed to ensure that the emissions data they tracked internally and communicated to customers met the highest quality standards. Data quality issues - such as overlapping master data IDs from their SAP/ERP system - needed resolution before any new sustainability offering could be launched.

"Battery-electric vehicles are a core part of our strategy, but they simply don't cover the full demand from our customers today."

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Solution: Strategic partnership with shipzero for Book & Claim implementation

Nagel-Group had already been working with shipzero since 2023 for comprehensive emissions tracking, from last-mile delivery to long-haul transport. This foundation provided crucial transparency: the company was already measuring CO₂ emissions across their operations and automatically sending individual emissions reports to their customers.

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The existing data infrastructure proved invaluable when implementing Book & Claim. The company already had the basic data - vehicle classes, locations, fuel types - in shipzero's system, making the process much simpler as a result.

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The implementation focused on three key areas: First, shipzero cleaned up Nagel-Group's master data structure, creating clear customer entities linked to VAT IDs and SAP IDs. This resolved the overlapping data issues and ensured accurate allocation of emissions reductions to specific customers and shipments. Second, shipzero incorporated a comprehensive registry tracking Nagel-Group's alternative fuel purchases, specifically HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) with ISCC certification. The emissions intelligence platform manages which fuel volumes were purchased at which locations, translating these into verified reduction potentials. Third, the system connects reduction credits back to Nagel-Group's accounting, enabling precise allocation per shipment and customer. Full reversal capabilities were built in, with extensive testing completed before going live.

"We already had the basic data - vehicle classes, locations, fuel types - in shipzero's system. The process was much simpler as a result."

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Results: Market leadership and customer impact beyond expectations

Since launching Book & Claim in fall 2025, Nagel-Group has achieved impressive results that exceeded internal expectations: They already reduced - just within months - several thousand tons of CO₂ emissions through alternative fuel booking events. With battery-electric vehicles being integrated into the Book & Claim offering in 2026, these volumes are expected to increase significantly.

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The customer response has been overwhelmingly positive. Book & Claim has primarily deepened existing relationships and strengthened Nagel-Group's position as a thought leader in sustainable logistics. One critical success factor has been Nagel-Group's transparent approach to addressing greenwashing concerns. The key distinction: Book & Claim enables carbon insetting, not offsetting. The alternative fuels are used within Nagel-Group's own fleet on actual transport routes, not purchased as external credits. This direct connection to operational reality has proven essential for customer acceptance.

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Perhaps most importantly for logistics providers considering Book & Claim: the internal effort was very manageable. It is essentially a standalone process that does not require any changes to existing customer processes.

"The business case is developing beyond our expectations. Our customers appreciate our comprehensive know-how across the board."

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Outlook: Scaling Book & Claim as a strategic emissions reduction lever

Nagel-Group views Book & Claim as a strategic lever for the short and medium term, complementing their long-term electrification strategy. The company plans to continue expanding both their battery-electric fleet and their Book & Claim offering in parallel. E-mobility is the emissions carrier of the future and fits perfectly with Book & Claim, where alternative fuels serve as a complementary solution for the short and medium term.

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Looking ahead, the company is examining the optimal further development of its offering: Which product variants meet customer needs best? Where can they further expand their booking events? Nagel-Group's success demonstrates that Book & Claim offers logistics service providers and carriers a commercially viable path to meet customer sustainability demands today – without waiting for complete fleet transformation.

"Book & Claim makes tremendous sense until a comprehensive solution is fully rolled out."

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