The 4th meeting of the industrial working group within the it's OWL project "DualStrat" took place on April 9, 2025. 20 representatives from 9 companies and 4 Research facilities at Schmitz Cargobull in Vreden.



Schmitz Cargobull AG, a fourth-generation family business, specializes in the manufacture of semi-trailers and is the European market leader in this field. At its Vreden site, with approximately 2,300 employees, up to 24,000 box-type trailers for refrigerated and ambient goods can be produced annually. Sustainability aspects are an integral part of the company's strategy. Sustainability goals have already been defined and anchored in this strategy, and the entire production network is certified according to ISO 14001 for environmental management, among other standards. For its sustainable production processes and its product portfolio designed for resource conservation and longevity, the company was awarded the “German Sustainability Award for Companies 2025” in the Mobility and Logistics category, Automotive Industry.



At the 4th Industrial Working Group Meeting, participants from companies and research institutes were given an exciting insight into the production facility. Thomas Wissing de Freitas (Sustainability Manager) presented the company and its structure. Since an analysis of the kilometers driven on the production site and the coupling processes, among other things, The potential for saving transport routes has been identified, and production will be carried out in a new hall in the future. This allows components to be further processed without major transport, thus shortening and saving transport routes. The current topic the company is working on within the DualStrat project is certification under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi certification). This is being addressed in collaboration with Fraunhofer IEM. The use of existing data collected by the telematics systems on the trailers was also reported. Through process mining, the collected data can be used to map complex processes and, for example, uncover potential CO2 savings opportunities.



In an intensive exchange session, various topics were openly discussed with all participants. Caroline Besse and Tim Schütte from Wilhelm Böllhoff GmbH & Co. KG presented the current progress in the design of the digital product passport in the pilot project. The goal is to create a solution that not only meets the legal requirements of the EU Ecodesign Regulation Sustainable Products (ESPR) but also offers practical added value for customers and internal stakeholders. It became clear once again that companies are future-proof if they are well-positioned digitally or prepare for it.



There was a significant need for discussion regarding the EU Regulation establishing a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the EU Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR) and the associated burdens for companies. In particular, the current omnibus regulations, such as the postponement of reporting and due diligence obligations ("Stop the Clock"), were an important topic.



What happens next? The 5th meeting of the Industry Working Group will take place on Thursday, October 9, 2025. The event will be hosted by Paul Hettich GmbH & Co. KG in Kirchlengern.