At Kortmann APS, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We combine innovation, responsibility and collaboration to reduce our ecological footprint. As part of the fine art logistics chain, we take our role seriously and work closely with clients, partners and our parent company, hasenkamp, to develop future-proof solutions.

Our current sustainability objectives

Addressing the effects of climate change, stimulating the development of a circular economy and creating job opportunities for people from all backgrounds, through employment as well as internships, are societal goals that matter to all of us. As one link in the chain, we understand the importance of our role and the need to involve both our stakeholders and our clients.

Over the past years, we have worked hard to achieve our sustainability goals. Together with our parent company hasenkamp, we continue to develop in the field of sustainability, ensuring that we meet, strengthen and embed these goals within our organisation and processes. We do this by, among other things:

Energy-efficient building

Our facility in Hoofddorp was designed with sustainability in mind and holds the highest possible energy label (A+++++). With approximately 5,000 solar panels, we generate more energy than we consume, 80% of the generated energy is supplied directly to local households. Surplus energy is stored in our Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) or fed back into the grid. For more information, see Read more

CO₂-neutral art storage

Our storage facilities are fully CO₂-neutral, equipped with advanced climate control systems and powered by solar energy and heat pumps. In 2025, Depot B will receive green walls with vegetation that actively removes CO₂ from the air. Our long-term goal is to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our transport operations entirely. This enables us to offer a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly storage solution for valuable artworks.

Innovation

State-of-the-art techniques were used during the construction of our depot, allowing us to operate with nearly zero energy consumption. For our new building projects, we apply climate-adaptive construction methods inspired by nature. For example, the façades are made of a circular concrete mixture and treated with a moss gel, enabling rapid and controlled growth of CO₂-absorbing moss.

Sustainable packaging

The ARCA is our newest and most sustainable transport crate. Developed together with conservators, registrars, art handlers and carpenters, it is made from kiri wood and 98% recycled materials. The kiri tree grows up to 6 metres per year and has a negative CO₂ value. Our parent company hasenkamp has even purchased a forest in Germany to invest in this material, meaning the wood is locally sourced. An additional benefit: this type of wood only ignites at 400°C, compared to 200–260°C for most other woods. The sustainable crate is 50% lighter than conventional crates, maintains a stable internal climate for extended periods, and requires no additional packaging materials. This significantly reduces its environmental impact while still providing outstanding quality and protection.

Packaging materials

We offer rental crates, as well as refurbished crates for which we fully customise the interior, without the need for a new crate. We reuse soft-packing materials, and small objects are placed in foldable crates with fillers that we reuse many times.

We strive to use 75% rental crates and 50% refurbished crates. If the lender is open to this, we look for a suitable crate and create a customised interior. At the moment, we have approximately 950 second-hand crates in our assortment.

A portion of the crates that we can no longer reuse is donated to artists, who use them to create artwork and bar stools, among other things. The remaining crates are collected by our recycling and waste-processing partner and converted into secondary raw materials. Our plastic ultimately becomes a raw material for the plastics industry, paper becomes material for new paper, and wood becomes a secondary raw material for the wood fibre/chipboard industry or biomass.

Our sustainability goals for the future

Our activities primarily involve the transport of artworks—a process we recognise as potentially harmful to the climate. To minimise our CO₂ emissions, all our vehicles meet Euro 5 or Euro 6 standards. We already operate an electric van and are exploring options for electric trucks. We closely monitor technological developments in heavy-duty electric transport. Until large electric trucks become viable for long distances, we make conscious decisions to reduce our environmental impact.

Awareness and collaboration

Achieving sustainability is not something we do alone. During client interactions and in our daily operations, we emphasise that every link in the chain has a role to play. By sharing knowledge, encouraging conscious choices and offering sustainable alternatives, we work together with our clients and partners toward a greener art logistics sector.

For example, we highlight not only the financial benefits of combined transports but also the reduced emissions they generate. We also encourage couriers to travel by train whenever possible and aim to share sustainable knowledge and insights via our website—for example, during our client day. Read more on our blog:
https://kortmann.nl/green-in-the-spotlight/

Usable materials are never discarded unnecessarily.
We retain one large truck that is technically depreciated but still in excellent condition. It is used for specific projects such as fairs, Schiphol runs and large domestic transports—a sustainable choice that prevents waste.

Maintenance is carried out on the vehicles at least once a year. Our drivers ensure the vehicles are correctly aligned and the tyre pressure is optimal. Every year, they receive training through the “Code 95” course, ensuring they remain fully informed on fuel-saving driving techniques.

Zero Emission Zones (ZEZ) – Preparing for the future

The introduction of Zero Emission Zones will significantly impact the transportsector in the coming years. We are actively preparing:

• Vehicles under 3.5 tonnes may enter zero-emission zones until 31 December 2027.
• One truck in our current fleet may also enter these zones until 31 December 2027.
• Vehicles added to our fleet on or after 1 January 2025 are exempt from ZEZ regulations and may enter these zones until 1 January 2030.

Stronger together

Because Kortmann APS is part of the hasenkamp group, a large international fine art transport organisation, we are connected to offices and branches throughout Europe. All international traffic for this group is coordinated from one central point, the central dispatch. By planning all international movements of the various companies from a single location, routes can easily be linked together. In this way, transports are utilised optimally and “empty” kilometres are avoided.

Our “shuttle service” is the main service contributing to this, by scheduling transports between major European cities at fixed times. From our location, we facilitate three of these shuttles, namely between Amsterdam and London, Amsterdam and Brussels, and Amsterdam and Cologne. From Brussels and Cologne, regular shuttle services also run to various cities in Europe, such as Paris and Switzerland. This allows us to offer fast and efficient art transports, which reduces transport movements and optimises loading capacity. Transferring of shipments always takes place inside a secure and climate-controlled art depot, ensuring the safety of the objects as much as possible.

Storage

Our company is located approximately 30 minutes from Amsterdam’s city centre and 15 minutes from Schiphol Airport. The site includes our fleet, more than 30,000 m² of climate-controlled art storage, an in-house carpentry workshop, offices, a viewing room, meeting facilities and staff canteens. Heating and cooling are generated through underfloor systems and heat pumps powered by solar energy from the 5,000 panels on our roof and façade. We therefore use no fossil fuels to operate our climate system—both economically and ecologically sustainable. Our fleet has been updated, and for the next five years, all our vehicles are permitted to enter zero-emission zones.

Staff and office operations

Our top priority is the safe and professional handling, management and preservation of artworks and valuable objects. To safeguard knowledge and expertise within our organisation, we strive for long-term employment relationships. Short communication lines between projectmanagers and art handlers ensure that information is exchanged efficiently and contribute to a positive working atmosphere.

We are gradually transitioning to a paperless office and digital transport documentation, including digital Air Waybills, transport forms and customs documents. This transition occurs in phases, as we depend on partners both within and outside the Netherlands.

Our office staff partly work from home, and meetings with international partners increasingly take place digitally. Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are replaced by electric versions once they reach the end of their lifecycle.

We continue to invest in innovation and digitalisation to make our processes more efficient and sustainable. For example, we are currently developing new software that will allow us to jointly plan routes within our international group even more efficiently. Sustainability is something we achieve together!