¶ Sustainable Transport Unit
Introduction and Overview › Glossary for the Networking Language · 4 min read
A Sustainable Transport Unit is a logistical bundling unit within the TEIKEI network.
It describes a sufficiently large, plannable quantity of goods that makes organizing more sustainable transport routes realistic in the first place.
This includes in particular:
- Sailboat transport
- Rail transport
- Combined transport routes using sailboats, rail, and regional distribution
- Logistics steps that are as low-fossil or fossil-free as possible
¶ Core Idea
Many more sustainable transport routes do not work for very small individual quantities.
A sailboat, rail transport, or a combined transport via port, rail, and distribution warehouse requires a certain capacity utilization to make effort, costs, handling, and organization viable.
The Sustainable Transport Unit makes this threshold visible. It helps combine many individual harvest shares, communities, micro-communities, and regional orders into a common logistical volume.
¶ Orientation in the TEIKEI Context
In TEIKEI, we understand a Sustainable Transport Unit as an international transport unit.
As a guideline:
1 Sustainable Transport Unit = approximately one container unit with about 30 Euro pallets
Note: Verify the number of pallets per 40-foot container.
This size does not serve as a rigid technical standard but as a practical planning measure.
It helps to recognize:
- when a shipment is still too small
- when bundling becomes meaningful
- when a switch to more sustainable transport modes can be prepared
- when sailboat, rail, or combined transport routes can be realistically considered
¶ Threshold for Sailboat Transport
For TEIKEI Olive, the following is particularly relevant:
From about 3 Sustainable Transport Units, sailboat transport can generally become possible.
This roughly corresponds to a quantity with which a cargo sailing vessel can be meaningfully utilized.
This threshold does not mean that every transport automatically runs by sailboat. It indicates when we at TEIKEI can review the logistical prerequisites:
- available sailboat route
- suitable port in Greece
- suitable destination port in Italy or Northern Europe
- transshipment to rail or regional distribution
- costs
- time window
- storage capability of the goods
- coordination with producers, communities, and distribution warehouses
¶ Role of the Agora Marketplace
The Agora Marketplace plays a central role in bundling these quantities.
It makes visible which harvest shares, communities, micro-communities, and members together can support a sufficient quantity.
This allows us to plan transports not only reactively in the long term but to specifically aim for sustainable transport units.
The Agora Marketplace helps with:
- capturing quantities early
- bundling harvest shares across regions
- making delivery months plannable
- calculating transport units visibly
- better preparing distribution, storage, and onward delivery
- incorporating sailboat and rail options early
¶ Example: TEIKEI Olive
For TEIKEI Olive, the flow of goods begins at the olive groves and producers in Greece.
From there, it proceeds via:
- Harvest
- Oil mill / pressing
- Bottling
- Collection warehouse
- Port
- International transport
- Distribution warehouse
- Regional redistribution
As long as quantities are small, transports are often organized via existing logistics routes.
When the quantity grows and is sufficiently bundled, new possibilities arise:
- Sailboat from Greece to Italy or Northern Europe
- Further transport by rail
- Transshipment in distribution warehouses
- Regional onward delivery to communities
- Urban fine distribution with cargo bikes or other adapted solutions
The Sustainable Transport Unit is therefore a link between basic cost participation, harvest share, community, and international logistics.
¶ Why This Unit Is Important
The Sustainable Transport Unit connects ecological goals with real logistics.
It makes visible: More sustainable transports are not just a question of the transport mode. They also depend on whether enough people, communities, and regions together can support a quantity that can be meaningfully moved.
A Sustainable Transport Unit helps with planning:
- quantities
- pallets
- containers
- storage spaces
- ports
- rail connections
- distribution warehouses
- costs
- CO₂ reduction
- time windows
¶ Transport Logic
The Sustainable Transport Unit can be applied in various transport chains.
Examples:
- Farm / collection warehouse → Port Greece → Sailboat → Port Italy → Rail → Distribution warehouse
- Farm / collection warehouse → Port Greece → Sailboat → Port Northern Europe → Distribution warehouse
- Farm / collection warehouse → Rail → Distribution warehouse
- Distribution warehouse → Main communities → Sub-communities → Members
- Distribution warehouse → Micro-communities
- Regional fine distribution with cargo bikes or other local solutions
¶ Delimitation
A Sustainable Transport Unit is not a single pallet or an arbitrary order quantity.
It describes a bundled logistical volume that is large enough to make alternative transport modes meaningfully reviewable in the first place.
It is therefore a planning measure between:
- Harvest share
- Pallet
- Container
- Transport mode
- Route
- Distribution warehouse
- Community
¶ Study Materials
Study materials on sustainable logistics are stored in the project folder:
20-21 Sustainable Logistics (external)
There, you will find materials on the investigation of sustainable transport options, particularly on transport routes from Greece to Germany, sailboats, rail, CO₂ assessment, and combined logistics solutions.
¶ Short Form
A Sustainable Transport Unit is the quantity from which we at TEIKEI can practically plan more sustainable transport routes.
It bundles harvest shares, communities, and regional needs into a viable logistical unit.
From about three Sustainable Transport Units, sailboat transport can generally become possible for TEIKEI Olive.
¶ Further Reading (Final Report)
¶ Related Terms
- Cooperative Logistics
- Healthy Size
- Harvest Share
- Sailboat Transport
- Agora Marketplace
- Distribution Warehouse
¶ Further Information & Understanding Contexts
¶ External Sources
- 20-21 Sustainable Logistics (external)
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By the TEIKEI editorial team, with AI support (ChatGPT)
Created on May 15, 2026 · Last updated on October 14, 2026
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