DHL and Air France KLM partner on SAF

DHL Global Forwarding and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) have teamed up on the purchase of 33m litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The partners said the three-year cooperation represents one of the most “significant SAF purchases in the freight forwarding industry”.

DHL has committed to covering at least 30% of its air and ocean fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030.

The forwarder’s customers will be able to access the SAF through a ‘book and claim’ system; when purchasing a DHL service, they can select the sustainable option.

The related emissions reduction will be credited to their account.

“Since it is nearly impossible both technically and logistically to physically track SAF from production to the airplane, ‘book & claim’ offers a digital accounting system to track and transfer emissions reductions from sustainable fuels across the value chains,” the partners said.

“Companies can own SAF by buying and selling it without physically tracing the fuel through the supply chain. This makes SAF accessible for companies of all sizes and locations.”

Adriaan den Heijer, executive vice president, Air France KLM Cargo and managing director Martinair, said: “The Air France KLM Martinair Cargo teams are strongly committed and feel responsible for creating a sustainable future for our industry.

“This deal is a great opportunity to accelerate our joint sustainability efforts. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has a lot of potential to reduce CO₂ emissions and we are delighted to collaborate with our strong, long-term partner DHL Global Forwarding on this journey to greener logistics and transportation in the coming years.”

For DHL, the initiative is part of the overall Deutesche Post DHL Group’s Sustainability Roadmap, which aims to spend €7bn on green technologies by 2030 and reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050.

Tim Scharwath, chief executive, DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, added: “With our Sustainability Roadmap, we have set ourselves ambitious goals on our journey towards zero emissions. Sustainable fuels are a fundamental part of our efforts.

“That is why we have committed to covering at least 30% of airfreight and oceanfreight fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030. Our partnership with AFKLMP will help us achieve that goal.

“At the same time, it serves as another example of the success of our ‘book & claim’ system, which ensures that reductions in Scope 3 emissions (those of contracted companies) are attributed to our customers. We must all work together to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon – and ultimately zero-carbon – emissions transport sector. After all, we only have one planet.”