Jettainer offers lightweight pallet nets

Jettainer customers can now look forward to reaping the rewards of environmentally friendly pallet nets, too: with Pallet Net Zero from AmSafe Bridport. The global expert in Unit Load Device (ULD) management is sourcing these nets, which are made out of sustainable bio-based materials, from its longstanding partner AmSafe Bridport, the world leader in highly engineered, innovative safety textile solutions for aerospace & defense. These newly developed nets are the lightest on the market. Around 60 per cent lighter than conventional polyester options, they reduce fuel consumption, cutting costs and greenhouse gas emissions in international air transport.

Pallet Net Zero is made out of an innovative, bio-based fiber – a pioneering material extracted from renewable bio-based raw materials. Weighing 9 to 11 kilograms, these nets are much lighter than traditional polyester nets, which weigh roughly 17 to 24 kilograms, depending on the type of a net. The new nets are also more robust and cut-resistant than existing models. Furthermore, Pallet Net Zero has certification for a service life of five years. In contrast, most commonly used polyester versions have a durability of only three years. Even after they are used, lightweight nets are to remain sustainable. Therefore, Jettainer, AmSafe Bridport and their airline customers are already working on ideas to give discarded nets a second life.

Lufthansa Cargo will be Jettainer’s first customer to use the new, lighter Pallet Net Zero solution. The ULD expert will make around 2,000 nets available to the airline, which will be used for PAJ pallets. The net will be fixed to one side of the pallet to minimize the loss rate for these high-quality nets.

“Global responsibility and sustainable, forward-looking practices are part of our DNA. We have already been working together with Jettainer for many years in a wide variety of areas to make air freight more sustainable. With the lightweight Pallet Net Zero, we are taking another important step towards decarbonizing freight transport. In addition, we expect considerable weight savings to make handling easier and safer for our employees and ground staff,” says Dietmar Focke, Chief Operations Officer & Chief Human Resources Officer at Lufthansa Cargo

In order to guarantee its customers the best possible product, Jettainer had the nets put through the acid test at the Institute of Textile Research Saxony (Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V.). Together with Lufthansa Cargo, Jettainer will conduct further stress tests of the lightweight Pallet Net Zero and gather experience in handling in order to make further improvements and developments with AmSafe Bridport with end users in mind.

Thomas Sonntag, Managing Director at Jettainer adds: “Winning such a large airline as Lufthansa Cargo as a proof of concept customer for these new lightweight pallet nets is a great opportunity for both of us. Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role throughout the entire industry. Our efficient ULD management services, the use of lightweight containers and innovative lightweight elements like squAIR-timber already offer our customers ways to reduce weight and their CO2 footprint. The use of Pallet Net Zero gives our customers yet another way to make their cargo flights more fuel-efficient and sustainable.”

“Pallet Net Zero is the outcome of years of expertise and research. These nets combine lightweight, safety, and sustainable feedstock in an unprecedented way. This redefines cargo nets as an important contributor towards lighter and sustainable air cargo. We look forward to working with our longstanding partner, Jettainer, to make Pallet Net Zero available for their customers and teaming up to make air freight transportation more sustainable,” commented Joanna Kotula, VP Sales & Marketing, at AmSafe Bridport.