DHL x Neste x ISCC: Carbon Emissions Solutions for Logistics

And logistics has a significant role to play. Freight transport accounts for 46% of the global transport sector’s emissions – equivalent to around 10% of global CO2 emissions.

So, what can businesses do about it today?

That’s the question at the heart of a recent webinar bringing together experts from DHL Express, Neste and ISCC. From renewable fuels to credible emissions reporting, the panel explored the solutions already available to help businesses reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their logistics – and how collaboration across the industry can accelerate progress.

Quick watch: How DHL and Neste are reducing logistics emissions

Key themes from the webinar

Why renewable fuels matter now

For SMEs looking to reduce the emissions associated with their supply chains, the challenge is that not every part of logistics has an easy lower-carbon alternative. Electric vehicles are already transforming parts of road transport, but areas such as aviation and long-distance heavy transport are much harder to electrify. Renewable fuels can help bridge that gap, giving businesses a way to address some logistics emissions using solutions available today.

Aviation is a good example. DHL Express operates more than 300 aircraft, and air transport accounts for over 90% of its greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is one of the available options for reducing emissions associated with air transport.

SAF is produced from renewable or waste-derived feedstocks and can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional jet fuel. Under DHL Group’s Strategy 2030, the company is working to increase the share of sustainable fuels and technologies across its transport modes to more than 30% by 2030. DHL has invested substantially in SAF and continues to increase its use across the network.

The role of renewable fuels at scale

One of the advantages of renewable fuels is that reducing emissions doesn’t always require waiting for entirely new vehicles, aircraft or infrastructure.

HVO100 – a renewable diesel produced from 100% renewable raw materials – is a good example. It can be used as a drop-in alternative to fossil diesel in compatible diesel engines, with many heavy-duty vehicles and machines already HVO-ready. That means operators may be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing fleets without replacing the vehicles themselves.

The potential impact is significant. Neste, a major producer of renewable diesel and SAF, says its renewable products helped customers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 12.1 million tonnes of CO2e in 2024. According to Neste, renewable fuels including SAF and HVO100 could substitute up to 40% of fossil fuel consumption in logistics by 2040.

For businesses, the takeaway is simple: lower-emission logistics isn’t only about technologies that might arrive in the future. Solutions are already available – and increasing their scale could make them an increasingly important part of global supply chains.

Why certification and traceability matter

Reducing emissions is one part of the challenge. Being able to demonstrate those reductions credibly is another.

This becomes particularly important when businesses are working towards ESG targets or reporting Scope 3 emissions – the indirect emissions generated throughout their value chain, which can include transportation and distribution.

Independent certification helps businesses have confidence that the sustainability characteristics associated with renewable fuels are verified and traceable. ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) operates across around 140 countries and has more than 15,000 valid certificates across its certification systems.

Its ISCC Credit Transfer System also enables SAF suppliers, aircraft operators, logistics providers and end customers to track and allocate the sustainability benefits associated with SAF use. This supports the book-and-claim approach, where the environmental benefit of SAF can be allocated to a customer even when that fuel isn't physically used on the aircraft carrying their individual shipment.

For businesses making sustainability claims or tracking progress towards emissions targets, that transparency matters.
 

The DHL x Neste x ISCC partnership

Decarbonizing logistics isn't something any one business can achieve alone. It requires collaboration between the companies producing lower-emission fuels, the logistics providers putting them into use and the organizations providing credible certification.

That’s where the relationship between DHL, Neste and ISCC comes in.

DHL and Neste are developing a commercial model that targets the offtake of around 300,000 tonnes of unblended SAF per year from Neste by 2030. Their collaboration also covers renewable diesel, including opportunities to increase the use of HVO100 across DHL’s road transport operations. ISCC provides the certification and traceability frameworks that support credible allocation and reporting of the resulting sustainability benefits.

Together, these different roles illustrate an important point from the webinar: making lower-emission logistics available at scale depends on the wider industry working together.

What is DHL GoGreen Plus?

So, where does your business fit into all of this?

DHL GoGreen Plus* is designed to give businesses a practical way to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their shipments through the use of sustainable fuels and technologies within DHL’s logistics network.

It works using an insetting approach. Rather than offsetting emissions by funding environmental projects elsewhere, DHL invests in measures within its own logistics network – such as SAF for aviation – and participating customers can be allocated the resulting emissions reductions through a book-and-claim methodology.

Importantly, this doesn't mean the aircraft carrying a particular GoGreen Plus shipment will necessarily be fuelled directly with SAF. Through a book-and-claim approach, the environmental benefits of SAF use can be allocated across the network, supported by recognized standards and certification.

This makes GoGreen Plus accessible to businesses of different sizes. Larger companies can integrate emissions reductions into their shipping agreements and receive reporting to support their sustainability goals, while SMEs can select GoGreen Plus for eligible shipments, giving them greater flexibility over how and when they use the service.
 

What this means for your business

You don't need to overhaul your entire supply chain overnight to start addressing logistics emissions. Instead, focus on where meaningful changes are possible within your operations.

Your customers may take notice, too. Research shows that 88% of customers are more likely to be loyal to a company that supports environmental issues – giving SMEs another reason to make their sustainability efforts visible and meaningful.

Start by understanding where your logistics emissions come from. Consider the transport modes you use, the distances your goods travel and where the greatest emissions are generated. From there, explore the solutions already available – whether that's renewable fuels, lower-emission shipping services or changes to how shipments are planned and consolidated.

It’s also important to look at the evidence behind sustainability claims. If emissions reductions contribute to your ESG targets or Scope 3 reporting, ask how those reductions are calculated, traced and independently verified.

Finally, make sustainability part of the wider logistics conversation. Cost, speed and resilience will continue to matter, but emissions can increasingly be considered alongside them when choosing transport modes, services and logistics partners.

Watch the full webinar

There’s much more to the conversation than we can cover here. Watch the full DHL x Neste x ISCC webinar to hear the experts discuss renewable fuels, certification, Scope 3 emissions and the practical steps businesses can take today – including questions from businesses during the Q&A.

And if you're ready to explore ways to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with your shipments through DHL’s network solutions, speak to your Account Manager. 

*GoGreen Plus is a value-added service to a DHL shipment contributing to decarbonization measures within DHL’s logistics network. By using alternative fuels and/or technologies, DHL reduces the usage of fossil fuels in the mode of transport used for the GoGreen Plus shipment. This does not necessarily mean that the specific shipment is physically transported with the assets using these fuels or technologies.