Shell, DHL Express sign deal to drive sustainable air freight at Brussels airport

Photo: DHL

DHL Express and Shell, one of the world’s largest energy companies, have signed a deal to drive sustainable air freight at Brussels Airport.

The one-year deal includes the delivery of 25,000 tons of SAF into Brussels via pipeline to the airport.

The SAF used is certified according to the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System’s voluntary ISCC Plus certification and is expected to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 80,000 tons of CO2-equivalent versus fossil jet fuel.

It is produced in a petroleum refinery via coprocessing and will be used to offer DHL Express customers emission-reduced air-transportation services via DHL GoGreen Plus.

“Our customers benefit from our continuously increasing SAF coverage across different regions, now including our investment in SAF at Brussels Airport,” said Travis Cobb, an executive at DHL Express. “Beside efficiency improvements, SAF is currently the most important way to reduce GHG emissions in air transport. Customers can actively contribute to making their supply chains more sustainable by using our GoGreen Plus service based on SAF.”

Raman Ojha, the president at Shell Aviation, added, “Our collaboration with DHL at Brussels Airport reflects a joint commitment to reduce emissions from air freight specifically, and across the entire aviation value chain. Working together not only complements their efforts but also helps advance our shared ambitions for a net-zero future. By supplying SAF, we are equipping the industry—and our customers—with low-carbon solutions that will support the transition toward sustainable aviation.”

Insetting through DHL Go Green Plus enables customers to reduce their scope 3 emissions—the indirect GHG emissions generated in a company’s value chain, including downstream transportation and distribution.

In contrast to offsetting initiatives, DHL GoGreen Plus (insetting) reduces GHG emissions within the logistics sector and can therefore be used by DHL customers for voluntary emissions reporting based on the book-and-claim approach.

DHL has set itself the goal of reducing all logistics-related emissions to net zero by 2050.

The GoGreen Plus service is designed to help achieve this goal.

It contributes to the interim target of using 30 percent SAF for all air transportation by 2030.