Sustainability is no longer an aspiration - it's an expectation. Businesses are looking for ways to not just measure their carbon emissions, but reduce them as well. Discover the important role DHL’s Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil initiative is playing in helping enterprises of all sizes improve their sustainability – and how your business can join them.
What is hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)?
HVO is a synthetic, renewable diesel substitute made from used vegetable oils and waste from food production (eg. Animal fats). It’s produced via a high-pressure process that purifies the vegetable oils, creating a cleaner-burning fuel that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
HVO is a “drop-in” fuel which means it can be blended with traditional diesel and used in conventional engines and infrastructure without modification.
Why does HVO matter?
It’s no secret that transportation has a large carbon footprint – and that reducing emissions in the sector is fundamental to the fight against climate change. While it’s going to take technologies like electric and hydrogen to fully decarbonise the movement of people and goods, we do have options to reduce emissions now.
HVO is one of those options, and can be used immediately and at scale. It is therefore widely viewed as a crucial bridge solution while future technologies mature. Depending on feedstock and production methods, HVO can reduce lifecycle CO₂ emissions by up to 80–90%.
How can HVO benefit your business?
In today's world, your customers are having their purchasing decisions influenced by many factors, including sustainability. 51% of consumers say understanding the carbon footprint of their delivery will be 'very important' in the next 5 years.
By investing in HVO, you can bring down your business' Scope 3 emissions. DHL has recently expanded their GoGreen Plus offering to include shipments sent throughout Europe via the road network on the Economy Select product. GoGreen Plus is a dedicated solution to help businesses reduce the carbon emissions associated with their shipments through the use of HVO. GoGreen Plus is supported by the Book & Claim methodology.
What is Book & Claim?
Book & Claim allows us to 'de-couple' the environmental benefits of HVO from the physical product, and transfer them separately via a dedicated registry. This approach has been successfully implemented in the renewable electricity sector.
Book & Claim means that the buyer and seller do not need to be connected physically in a supply chain. Under Book & Claim, a specific quantity of HVO can be ‘booked’ in one location and then ‘claimed’ at another location that is not physically linked to the original one.
Book & Claim is all about making sustainability accessible - it enables anyone to contribute to sustainable logistics. A business of any size can participate in the market of sustainable fuels, and claim the emissions reductions towards their sustainability targets. Their goods may not technically travel in a truck using HVO, but their purchase means a truck somewhere is running on a fuel with lower emissions.
How does GoGreen Plus work?
Via the contractual model, account customers shipping with DHL Express Economy Select product in Europe can now choose to add GoGreen Plus to their shipments and reduce Scope 3 emissions by approximately 70%.
DHL Express uses the contribution to invest in HVO. An independent auditor will annually verify the emission reduction value of the purchased HVO, as well as verifying that all investments have been exclusively used for HVO.
Commit to change
Sustainability matters – to the planet, to your customers, and to your business’ bottom line. With DHL’s GoGreen Plus service, your business can demonstrate its commitment to a more sustainable future.
Open a DHL Express Account to discover how GoGreen Plus can help your business grow.
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