DHL decarbonises all LCL ocean freight shipments globally

Considered one of the leading ocean freight forwarders globally, DHL is committed to leading the switch to clean and sustainable sea freight transport and becomes the first logistics service provider to offer a fully climate neutral ocean freight shipments without extra costs.

The organisation’s new green service is an important step on Deutsche Post DHL Group’s journey towards achieving zero emission logistics, and it also helps allow its customers to reduce their carbon footprint. At no extra cost to the customer, the heavy oil that would usually be used is replaced with sustainable marine biofuel onboard a preselected container vessel.

“To fight against climate change, the transport sector needs true decarbonization. For us at DHL Global Forwarding, sustainable fuel solutions are the key lever to change the fuel mix and ultimately reduce carbon emissions in ocean freight,” commented Tim Scharwath, CEO at DHL Global Freight Forwarding. “This is why we have taken the decision to neutralize the carbon emission of all our LCL shipments. Even though we are in unprecedented times, due to the ongoing pandemic, we have to make sure that climate protection and sustainability efforts remain at the forefront.”

In addition, DHL Global Forwarding has a GoGreen carrier evaluation programme which enables the freight forwarder to give preference to carriers with strong environmental performance.

Deutsche Post DHL Group has been exploring renewable fuels as a key lever to minimise ocean freights’ impact on the environment. Key criteria in evaluating the suitability of renewable fuels are that they are produced sustainably and don’t compete with other needs, such as food production for land use. Following strict sustainability standards, the waste-based biofuels must meet the requirements to be qualified as the cleanest biofuels around on the market.