Lufthansa Crowdsources Sustainability Ideas For Cargo Business

Are you brimming with ideas to make the world a more sustainable place? Do you have an idea you think could fly? Lufthansa may have an opportunity for you. The German air company is holding a contest whereby it is accepting green sustainable ideas from members of the public anywhere in the world.

Lufthansa Cargo is a world-leading airport-to-airport business serving more than 300 destinations in over 100 countries. Contestants can present sustainable ideas for additional services or green solutions that help define a green carrier.

Lufthansa's environmental management system is certified according to ISO 14001. The company says it is aware that customers are becoming more and more conscious about sustainability, and their demand for data transparency and green solutions is rising. Therefore it is interested in finding out which green processes or solutions along its supply chain can be realized in the short, medium, and long term.

In terms of additional services, it is interested in finding out which services are currently missing and how it can improve the cooperation and processes between shipper, forwarder and airline. It also wants to find out if there are additional services needed from the perspective of small and medium-sized companies.

The three winners will win a trip to Frankfurt, Germany where they will get to present their proposals to engineers and management and discuss how their ideas may be implemented. Winners will also receive flight training with a Lufthansa Cargo Flight Captain and up to 25,000 Miles and More Miles. In addition, a Most Valuable Participant will be awarded 25,000 Miles and More Miles, based on activity in the contest, quality of contributions and support for other members.

Winners will be chosen based on the feasibility of their ideas, innovation, cost-benefit ratio, traceability and comprehensibility. The jury is composed of high-ranking Lufthansa executives.

The contest is accepting proposals until December 19, 2011. The ideas are posted online where people can review and comment openly so candidates can receive feedback and exposure from people all over the world, in the true spirit of social networks. Proposals can cover any aspect within the Lufthansa Air Cargo Supply Chain (sales, handling, transport, customer service).

In order to get some inspiration for sustainable ideas, it may be interesting to check out what other people have submitted so far. For example, FrequenFlyer74 from Israel entered his Rate My Cargo idea, which encourages the use of packaging made from environmentally-safe materials and components. Pakistan-based Neduet proposed Air-Base Is Now "Eco-Hub" suggesting the use of solar driven PV cells and Piezoelectric materials for electricity to help make the air-base of Lufthansa-Cargo an energy self-sustaining work place.

Image credit: Lufthansa Cargo