Sustainable Logistics UAE Business Can Put to Work

Why sustainability belongs in your shipping decisions

The UAE has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 47% by 2035 compared with 2019 levels, pushing importers and exporters to bring the national ambition into everyday decisions. The sustainable logistics UAE businesses are adopting must meet their real delivery deadlines. DHL’s GoGreen solutions can help them reduce transport emissions while keeping service requirements in focus, from urgent air shipments to planned ocean and road movements.

What UAE Net Zero 2050 means for your supply chain

The UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategy connects emissions reduction with economic development. Supporting initiatives include the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and UAE Circular Economy Policy (2021-2031), giving manufacturers and their suppliers a wider framework for improving how resources are used.

Translate that direction into a manageable starting point. Review a regular import or export flow, establish its footprint and agree a reduction objective with your logistics provider. An Abu Dhabi manufacturer could begin with recurring inbound components; a Dubai distributor might examine scheduled replenishment. Choose an area where shipment data and delivery requirements are clear enough to measure progress. 

Customers demand evidence behind greener supply chains

The green shipping UAE buyers ask about needs a specific explanation of which transport activities are covered and how reductions are measured. If you offer eco-friendly shipping UAE customers can choose at checkout, give them an accurate answer that helps them assess your offer and use the information in their own sustainability work.

Explore DHL’s GoGreen portfolio

The right solution depends on your shipment. DHL Express offers GoGreen Plus for international express shipping, while the wider portfolio includes freight and contract logistics solutions. Match the service to your cargo and route, with advice from the relevant DHL team.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel UAE shippers can utilize

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) gives businesses a way to address the air transport emissions associated with their time-sensitive orders. DHL Express uses SAF made from materials such as used cooking oil and other renewable resources. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 80% over its lifecycle compared with fossil-based jet fuel.

The reduction allocated to a customer depends on the service selected and the emissions it covers. For a UAE exporter sending urgent replacement parts, for instance, SAF offers a way to reduce their aviation emissions while retaining the speed the order requires.

How GoGreen Plus works for your shipments

DHL GoGreen Plus lets your business fund the use of SAF in DHL Express’s network to reduce the emissions associated with your shipment’s air transport. It works through a system called Book and Claim:

-  You select the service. With GoGreen Plus, UAE shippers can add the solution to an eligible international express shipment through MyDHL+, or agree on a contractual arrangement based on their shipping activity and reduction objectives.

- DHL replaces conventional jet fuel with SAF. The fuel is used within DHL Express’s air network, producing lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than the fossil fuel it replaces.

- The emissions benefit is allocated to you. DHL assigns the independently verified reduction according to your chosen GoGreen Plus option, with a reduction certificate documenting the benefit.

The SAF can be used on a different aircraft from the one carrying your shipment. This allocation system enables participation without changing delivery service levels.

UAE businesses are already putting this approach into practice. In February 2025, aerospace engineering and leasing specialist Sanad announced a partnership with DHL Express to introduce GoGreen Plus into its logistics operations, aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 30%.

Lower the footprint of planned ocean freight

For larger or non-urgent shipments, DHL Global Forwarding’s Ocean Freight GoGreen Plus helps reduce ocean transport emissions through Sustainable Marine Fuel (SMF).

The same Book and Claim system applies at sea where DHL arranges for sustainable fuel through carrier partners and allocates the resulting emissions reductions to participating customers. The vessel carrying your cargo doesn’t need to use that fuel.

The service is available across worldwide trade lanes for selected shipments or a broader shipping program. Discuss the reduction level and application pricing with DHL Global Forwarding when requesting a quote, so the arrangement fits your procurement plans.

Make road freight part of the reduction plan

The road journeys connecting ports and airports with your warehouse deserve attention alongside the main international shipment corridors.

DHL Supply Chain offers efficiency mechanisms to reduce fuel consumption, alongside sustainable fuels and technologies. Its GoGreen Plus Direct feature deploys these measures in dedicated customer operations, while GoGreen Plus Insetting provides verified carbon savings through investment in DHL’s sustainable road transport value chain. Availability depends on the operation and market, so ask which measures can serve your UAE and GCC routes.

Combine transport modes around the delivery schedule

Where delivery requirements allow, an ocean leg followed by air transport may offer a suitable alternative to flying the entire distance.

DHL Global Forwarding offers multimodal options for international supply chains:

- Multimodal Express (MMEX) supports both FCL and LCL shipments from China and Vietnam to the US, Europe and Latin America. It uses selected smaller vessels to shorten ocean transit and port processing times, with onward road or air connections depending on the route.

- SeaAir combines ocean and air freight. An example route connects Asia to Dubai via sea, followed by air transport to Europe, giving this service a direct connection to the UAE’s role in international trade.

Assess these options against the shipment’s origin and required arrival date. DHL’s Carbon Calculator can compare estimated emissions across alternative routes and transport modes, helping you assess potential savings before making a change in your shipping plan.

Track emissions where you can act on them

Once you have selected a solution, reporting helps you see what it delivers. DHL Express GoGreen Plus customers receive an emissions reduction certificate and a complimentary emissions report, providing evidence of the service’s contribution to your shipping footprint.

Businesses working across DHL divisions can use the DHL GoGreen Dashboard to consolidate emissions data and examine transport modes, trade lanes and DHL products. For air and ocean freight, myDHLi provides emissions insights alongside your company’s logistics KPIs, with dashboards and data exports for auditing.

Use those insights in regular operational reviews. Track both total emissions and an appropriate intensity measure, such as emissions per tonne-kilometer, which helps distinguish efficiency gains from changes in business volume. Evaluate emissions and delivery performance together, using a consistent baseline to establish the carbon reduction logistics changes have achieved.

Put greener choices to work across your trade routes

For UAE businesses trading across the GCC, Europe and Asia, the commercial value comes from applying the right lever to each flow.

- For GCC distribution, review order consolidation and delivery frequency to improve vehicle utilization and help lower emissions. Build the schedule around customer delivery deadlines, allowing time for border clearance where required.

- For trade within Europe, consider GoGreen Plus for urgent shipments’ air transport emissions. Share the reporting with customers reviewing supplier performance.

- For sourcing from Asia, identify stock suited to ocean or multimodal travel. Keeping urgent replenishment separate can help control transport spending and unnecessary air movements.

Give ESG reporting a stronger evidence base

For businesses utilizing external carriers, transport and distribution emissions fall within Scope 3, the indirect emissions in their value chain. A manufacturer’s report therefore needs to account for movements of production inputs and finished goods.

For credible ESG logistics reporting, retain the shipment records and reduction certificates. Specify the reporting period, the transport activities covered and the method used, including any book-and-claim allocation. Your sustainability team should apply the accounting requirements relevant to its disclosures.

Be precise about carbon neutral logistics. GoGreen Plus doesn’t make a shipment emissions-free or establish a carbon-neutral claim. Describing the measured reduction and its coverage gives stakeholders a more useful account of progress.

Build the greener freight UAE trade needs next

DHL is bringing UAE businesses directly into the development of new logistics solutions. At its expanded Middle East and Africa Innovation Center in Dubai South, customers can explore emerging technologies and test solutions that address their supply chain challenges.

Greener shipping becomes commercially valuable when the reductions are measurable and delivery promises are kept. DHL Express’s GoGreen Plus helps decrease emissions through SAF, with verified reporting and no impact on the service experience. The wider DHL portfolio extends that support across freight transport and logistics operations, giving you a tangible basis to explain how you are improving the flow of your goods without any environmental impact.

Discover how your business can reduce emissions while keeping global trade moving.