How are DHL and Henkel Decarbonising Ocean Freight?
Following a successful joint venture in 2024 DHL Global Forwarding and chemicals and consumer goods company Henkel are expanding their partnership by implementing sustainable marine fuel (SMF) across most of Henkel's ocean freight.
This move away from traditional fossil fuels could demonstrate that the decarbonisation of the maritime supply chain sector is a viable prospect.
DHL Global Forwarding a division of the logistics company DHL operates with more than 31,000 freight forwarding experts in more than 190 countries.
A joint decarbonisation journey
DHL Global Forwarding facilitates global trade flows through specialised solutions and technological advancements.
A key part of its strategy is a commitment to sustainable practices with a stated goal of achieving net zero by 2050 which is reflected in its partnership with Henkel.
For its part Henkel is dedicated to developing new solutions for sustainable development.
The two companies first piloted the use of SMF in 2024 for shipping Henkel's products and are now scaling up the initiative to meet their climate targets.
The expansion of this partnership marks a major step in the ongoing effort to reduce the carbon footprint of global logistics.
By working together DHL and Henkel are putting sustainable theory into practice.
"This expansion of our partnership is another milestone in our joint decarbonisation journey," says Amanda Rasmussen Chief Commercial Officer at DHL Global Forwarding.
Amanda explained that combining Henkel's climate strategy with DHL's logistics solutions shows that making progress on decarbonising supply chains is achievable now.
"We hope this agreement will inspire other companies to transition to low-emission transportation services using sustainable marine fuel," she says.
The role of sustainable marine fuel
The collaboration has seen both companies focus on optimising transport modes and consolidating shipments to lower GHG emissions.
In this next phase ocean carriers will use waste- and residue-based SMF on behalf of DHL.
The subsequent emissions reductions are then assigned to Henkel through a Book & Claim system.
This framework allows DHL to substitute fossil fuels with sustainable alternatives within its network and allocate the environmental benefits to its customers.
The Book & Claim model functions through a registry system:
- DHL purchases a specific volume of sustainable fuel from a supplier.
- The purchased fuel is added to a tank at a port.
- This fuel is then used by a ship which is not necessarily a DHL vehicle.
- DHL can then claim the emissions reduction benefits and pass them on to customers like Henkel that have invested in the sustainable option.
This approach means that most of Henkel's ocean freight volumes will now be covered by SMF.
The partnership not only addresses the demand for sustainable logistics solutions but also helps to strengthen the market for sustainable fuels.
Building sustainable logistics
This initiative is delivered through GoGreen Plus a DHL solution designed to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions by using sustainable fuels.
The service provides a method for achieving value chain decarbonisation aided by the Book & Claim system.
"Working with DHL Global Forwarding on sustainable transport solutions is an important part of our strategy to reduce emissions within our logistics processes," says Ondřej Slezáček Global Category Manager Sea & Air Freight at Henkel.
Ondřej noted that the collaboration also helps to speed up the broader industry's transition to low-emission logistics.
The agreement between the two companies covers 9,000 TEUs of ocean freight for 2025.
According to the companies using SMF for these shipments will reduce GHG emissions by approximately 4,700 tonnes of CO₂e.
This equates to an 85% reduction on the main haul compared to conventional marine fuel.
Through this partnership DHL is helping to create a tangible market for SMF and offering a solid solution for embedding sustainability into ocean freight supply chains.
