On Wednesday, DHL Express and World Energy, a leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel, said they had signed a long-term strategic agreement to accelerate aviation decarbonization through sustainable aviation fuel.
According to the companies, the seven-year agreement will provide 668 million liters of SAF to replace fossil jet fuel and enable DHL to reduce approximately 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of operating DHL Americas aviation network carbon neutrally for one year. The agreement will help DHL Group reach its Sustainability Roadmap goals, the company said, of reducing its annual greenhouse gas emissions to below 29 million tons of CO2 emissions.
“DHL Express is firmly dedicated to pioneering a sustainable future in aviation logistics,” John Pearson, CEO DHL Express, said. “By partnering with World Energy and confirming this milestone agreement, we are taking another concrete leap towards minimizing our carbon footprint and contributing to a more sustainable future. We want to inspire more suppliers to accelerate industry-wide production and adoption of SAF.”
DHL will purchase SAF certificates (SAFc) using a “Book & Claim” chain of custody model that will allow the company to purchase SAFc, and utilize the associated emission reductions. SAFc delivered through Book & Claim helps to minimize logistical costs and emissions as the fuel does not need to be shipped around the world. All of World Energy SAFc for DHL will meet rigorous sustainability certification standards from the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and will be traced through an independent registry to ensure traceability of claims related to SAFc. The fuel itself will be supplied to Los Angeles Area airports, close to World Energy’s production facility in Paramount, Calif.
“We are honored to team up with DHL on this quest to decarbonize aviation,” World Energy CEO Gene Gebolys said. “Decarbonizing the hard-to-abate sectors requires commitment across the value chain, and partnerships like the one we are launching today are key to enabling companies like DHL to meet their ambitions climate goals.”