How Hong Kong businesses can cut carbon emissions in global shipping

Why cutting carbon emissions matters for Hong Kong exporters

Hong Kong’s strategic position means decisions made here influence supply chains across Asia Pacific. As one of the world’s busiest trade hubs, Hong Kong connects key global markets, with its infrastructure linking Asia to the rest of the world. This central location, combined with its role as a gateway to Mainland China and the broader Asia Pacific region, gives Hong Kong exporters significant leverage over regional supply chains.

Policymakers also expect progress: the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s ‘Climate Action Plan 2050’ sets a pathway toward carbon neutrality before 2050, signaling sustained policy attention on decarbonization solutions across transport and logistics.

Regulatory pressure is rising in key destination markets. The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) phases in carbon costs for specified imports such as steel and aluminum, requiring verified emissions data from suppliers — including exporters shipping from Hong Kong into the EU. Preparing now reduces compliance risk and protects market access.

Corporate buyers are also tightening supplier requirements, favoring partners who can demonstrate sustainable logistics. According to Bain's 2025 CEO Sustainability Guide, 26% of companies are already moving away from suppliers that fall short on sustainability, and 49% expect to do so in the next three years.¹

Building credible measurement and reduction plans puts Hong Kong exporters in a stronger position during procurement reviews. Together, these factors make emissions reduction both a responsibility and a competitive advantage.

Key sources of carbon emissions in shipping

Most exporters’ logistics footprints come from a few hotspots. Understanding them helps you prioritize action. The main sources of carbon emissions in shipping can be broken down by transport type and key process steps, including:

• Air freight: Faster but more carbon-intensive per kilogram; common for time-sensitive exports from Hong Kong.
• Maritime shipping: Lower emissions per unit than air; total impact is significant given high volumes.
• Last-mile delivery: Urban congestion in destination markets drives fuel use and idling.
• Packaging: Oversized or non-recyclable materials increase volumetric weight, wasted space, and disposal impacts.

Mapping these sources clarifies where sustainable solutions can make the most impact.

Practical strategies to cut carbon emissions

This section focuses on carbon emission reduction strategies you can implement now, including where DHL Express can help.

Optimise shipment planning

• Consolidate wisely: Combine multiple small orders into fewer, larger consignments under a single airway bill where feasible to cut flights, handling, and clearances.
• Choose direct routes: Reduce transhipments to avoid extra fuel burn and handling.
• Forecast demand with digital tools: Use order history and sales pipelines to plan shipping windows. DHL Express’ MyDHL+ platform helps you compare time-definite options, schedule pickups, use Paperless Trade for digital customs documents, and pre-empt bottlenecks — small improvements that add up across the year.

As your data quality improves, you can re-evaluate safety stock and reduce urgent shipments.

Right-size packaging

• Use fit-for-purpose cartons and reduce void space. Even a small drop in volumetric weight directly lowers transport emissions and cost exposure.
• Switch to lighter, recyclable, or biodegradable materials where product protection allows.
• Standardize a few carton sizes and train packers. DHL Express can introduce packaging specialists from certified suppliers to help you test materials and optimize pack-out.

Better packaging improves both sustainability and delivery quality — a win for customer experience.

Explore greener transport options

• Shift where timelines allow: For some SKUs or replenishment orders, move from air to ocean or rail to cut emissions intensity. For urgent SKUs that must fly, reduce legs and select the most direct service available.
• Leverage regional flows: For intra-regional exports in South-East Asia, plan short-haul routes with lower emissions intensity and tight delivery windows using time-definite services. By focusing on sustainable fleet management, you can optimize transportation routes and reduce emissions across all shipping modes.

If lead times are non-negotiable, look to carbon insetting via sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Implement carbon-insetting and offsetting

• Prioritise insetting: With GoGreen Plus, DHL Express reduces the emissions of your air shipments by purchasing and allocating SAF via a book-and-claim model. This directly lowers aviation lifecycle emissions associated with your shipments and can be applied lane-by-lane or shipment-by-shipment. Emissions reporting aligns with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework.
• Use high-quality offsets where insetting is unavailable: Certified projects can compensate for remaining emissions, but they should complement, not replace, your reduction plan.

Hong Kong’s own aviation ecosystem is preparing for SAF scale-up, with Airport Authority Hong Kong supporting SAF uptake at HKIA — a positive signal for exporters relying on air.

Build supply chain visibility

• Track end-to-end carbon emissions: Use dashboards to monitor transport modes, routes, and packaging impacts. DHL Express provides drill-down carbon reporting, including airway bill-level views, to pinpoint hotspots and prove progress to customers and auditors.
• Set targets and review quarterly: Focus on practical metrics such as % of consolidated shipments, average volumetric weight per shipment, and share of air tonnage covered by SAF.

Better visibility supports smarter trade-off decisions when balancing speed, cost, and impact.

How DHL Express supports carbon-reduction goals

DHL Express helps Hong Kong businesses cut emissions while maintaining fast, reliable shipping. Here's how we support your sustainability goals:

• GoGreen Plus (SAF insetting): DHL’s GoGreen Plus service allows you to reduce carbon emissions on eligible air shipments by using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This program supports your sustainability goals and provides auditable certificates for your records.
• Carbon reporting tool: Receive verified, lane-level emissions reports that help you meet buyer sustainability requirements and prepare for regulations like the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). These insights also support your ESG disclosures.
• Sustainable packaging: Access guidance on using recyclable and right-sized packaging to reduce both waste and shipping costs, while ensuring compliance with sustainability standards.
• Network efficiency: DHL Express invests in renewable energy and continues to optimize our global network to minimize carbon emissions. This allows us to offer a broader sustainable product portfolio, whether your shipments are by air, ocean, or road.

These initiatives help you achieve carbon reduction and move towards carbon-neutral shipping without compromising on speed or reliability.