DHL reports rising demand for sustainable-fuel freight solutions

DHL Global Forwarding reported rising client demand for sustainable-fuel transport, with Novo Nordisk set to offset at least 30,000 tonnes of CO2e in 2023. Decarbonisation becoming a logistics-selection criterion signals expectations Indian exporters and freight users may face.

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight expert within DHL Group, reported rising demand for eco-friendly transport relying on sustainable fuels, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels, evident in tender processes and client discussions. Its GoGreen Plus service enabled Novo Nordisk to begin decarbonising air-freight shipments, projected to offset at least 30,000 tonnes of CO2e in 2023. Under GoGreen Plus, carriers use sustainable biofuels on DHL's behalf, with emission reductions credited to DHL and attributed to shippers.

The development affects shippers, exporters, logistics providers, and life-science companies like Novo Nordisk that increasingly weigh decarbonisation in selecting logistics partners. More shippers request greenhouse-gas-emissions transparency and consider sustainable options despite added costs. DHL is testing a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting Framework developed with the Smart Freight Centre and collaborators, designed to dissociate accounting of sustainable fuels' environmental attributes from physical distribution while ensuring environmental credibility and alignment with industry standards.

Indian exporters and freight users should monitor sustainable-fuel availability and emissions-accounting frameworks as decarbonisation becomes a logistics-procurement criterion. Affected entities should assess GoGreen-Plus-style book-and-claim models that attribute fuel-based emission reductions to specific customers, accessible through platforms such as myDHLi. Given pressing demand outpacing fuel supply, companies should track Sustainable Aviation Fuel scalability and the maturing Smart Freight Centre accounting framework as steps toward broader industry norms for credible freight-emissions reporting.

Key figure — Projected offset: at least 30,000 tonnes of CO2e in 2023 for Novo Nordisk