How ORIS identified a reduction of 8,000 tons of CO₂ for Die Autobahn

The context

13 projects, 9 regions, 1 mission: Reducing the carbon impact

ORIS assessed the carbon footprint of 13 infrastructure projects for Die Autobahn, covering pavement refurbishments, bridge works, and rest area reconstructions across 9 of 10 regional branches in Germany.

Half of the projects were already completed, allowing ORIS to measure emissions retrospectively and establish a baseline for future improvements.

The other half was still in design, allowing ORIS to guide engineers toward low-carbon choices, from more innovative materials to local sourcing and optimised layer design.

The challenge

Reducing carbon emissions starts with measuring them

Die Autobahn’s leadership first asked: “How can we reduce our infrastructure projects’ carbon footprint to make them more sustainable?”

This sparked a fundamental shift as the teams knew that to reduce CO₂, they first needed to measure it.

Soon after they began mapping emissions, EU regulations made carbon measurement mandatory. What started as a proactive initiative became a strategic step ahead.

To reduce emissions effectively, Die Autobahn needed more than data. It required strong expertise in sustainability and industry know-how in the infrastructure sector. ORIS’ tech-enabled services, leveraged by ORIS experts in road and pavement engineers, have provided them with a full life cycle analysis from materials extraction to road construction (A1–A5), assessing carbon footprint, cost, and material use for all their projects in one unified and harmonised view.

The solution

Speaking the same language with a robust and trusted methodology

Built by road engineers for road engineers, ORIS combined recognised data accuracy with real-world infrastructure insights, making it easy for Die Autobahn to trust the platform and act on its recommendations.

They quickly saw ORIS as a powerful additional value. It helped them save hours of work and make smarter, data-driven decisions during the tendering process.

“Before our collaboration with ORIS, our goal was simply to calculate project emissions as comprehensively as possible but it soon became clear that ORIS can actually transform decision-making processes. We were able to identify a potential reduction of around 8,000 tons of CO₂, all within the boundaries of the current regulatory framework.”

Oliver Krenz, Head of Sustainability at Die Autobahn

The client outcomes

Delivering clarity, confidence, and measurable results

Unlike generalist carbon tools, ORIS brings something new: deep infrastructure expertise grounded in European standards and a platform conceived explicitly for highways, roads, and bridges.

This allowed Die Autobahn to implement sustainability with:

More innovative planning: Engineers could compare road designs and material combinations based on local climate and materials availability, then focus only on the most viable options.
Streamlined decision-making: ORIS narrowed down complex variables into clear, relevant scenarios aligned with road construction standards in Germany and Europe.
Regulation-ready: The platform integrates current regulations and is built to anticipate upcoming EU carbon reporting requirements.
Engineer-to-engineer dialogue: ORIS speaks the same technical language as the teams on the ground, making collaboration smooth, fast, and effective.
Cultural alignment: With an international team including German-speaking experts, communication remained professional, smooth, agile, and tailored to local needs.

This resulted in identifying 8,000 tonnes of CO₂ reduction.

How ORIS Identified for Die Autobahn a Reduction of 8,000 Tonnes of CO₂

Reducing carbon emissions starts with measuring them

Speaking the same language with a robust and trusted methodology

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