THE ROAD TO NET-ZERO EMISSIONS
As a global player, DHL’s efforts make a big difference for the climate. Based on the Paris Agreement (limiting global warming to below 2 degrees), our long-term climate goal is to achieve zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. With major investments in fossil-free technology, we are working towards high sub-goals set as early as 2030.
Transport and logistics are essential for the global economy. This means that the transport industry can play a crucial role in reducing the environmental impact of many different activities. A sustainable economy quite simply requires sustainable transport.
As one of the world’s largest logistics companies, DHL can make a huge difference and play an important role in the entire transformation of society. We are determined to accept that challenge. As early as 2008, DHL was the first major logistics company to set a goal of reducing climate emissions by 30% per tkm from 2007 levels (1.) by 2020. And we achieved that goal way back in 2016.
(1.) Tkm = transport work. 1 tkm = Movement of 1 tonne over 1 km.
The next goal is zero net emissions by 2050. In order to achieve this, we are working towards a number of high sub-goals.
New solutions demand that we face the challenge
Sometimes you can’t wait. When the electric vehicles on the market in Germany were still too small or too expensive to operate as transport vehicles, we simply started to develop our own. By acquiring an innovative company focused on emission-free transport vehicles, we were able to produce over 20,000 electric vehicles in 2019, making us one of the largest suppliers of electric vehicles in the German market, and also to DHL in the UK, Japan and France. Although vehicle manufacturing has never been our main business and there are now a number of good external suppliers of electric vehicles, this is a telling example of how we are constantly trying to find new ways to move forward and drive development towards climate-smart transport.
Financing of carrier investments in fossil-free technology
Another way forward is to support the financing of our carriers’ investments in fossil-free vehicles and fuels. In Sweden, for example, we have developed the value-added service SKICKA GRÖNT, which means that our carriers are compensated for the extra cost per kilometre if they invest in fossil-free, more expensive vehicles and fuels, according to the definition of Fossil Free Sweden. When our customers choose SKICKA GRÖNT, the equivalent freight is reserved in the green part of our transport network – using the same principle as green electricity, but for transport. Since the start of 2002, SKICKA GRÖNT and its predecessors Miljöfrakt and Gröna Ton have contributed to bringing over 200 vehicles that use alternative climate-smart technology onto the market. Together, these vehicles have driven almost 800 times around the world, or 40 trips to the moon and back.
SKICKA GRÖNT is contributing to a faster transition of the Swedish transport system and allowing our carriers to dare to take the risk of investing in more expensive fossil-free technology and fuels. The more shipments that are sent with SKICKA GRÖNT, the faster our joint journey towards a sustainable transport system will be.
