DHL and Neste join forces to decarbonise logistics
DHL and Neste strengthened their strategic partnership to support the decarbonisation of the logistics sector, with renewable fuels—particularly sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—playing a central role in DHL’s roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
As one of the world’s largest logistics companies, DHL Group considered SAF a critical component in reducing its aviation-related carbon emissions due to its compatibility with existing aircraft, infrastructure, and fuelling systems. The Group operated approximately 2,400 flights daily using a fleet of 300 dedicated freighter aircraft, supported by more than 34,000 courier vehicles globally.
Markus Otto, senior vice president Aviation at DHL Express Europe, underscored the essential role of logistics in global trade and daily life, describing the industry as the “backbone of the economy” and key to connecting people and improving lives. However, he acknowledged that the sector remained heavily reliant on fossil fuels and required a fundamental shift towards cleaner energy alternatives.
DHL had already begun its decarbonisation journey over a decade ago. By 2024, 3.6 percent of the jet fuel used in DHL’s aviation operations consisted of neat SAF—a notable achievement for an industry traditionally dependent on kerosene-based fuel.
Andreas Mündel, senior vice president strategy & operations programmes at DHL Group, explained that two-thirds of the company’s total carbon footprint originated from aviation. SAF, as a drop-in solution, provided the most practical and immediate pathway for decarbonising that segment.
“The first and most obvious way to improve our carbon footprint is to be as fuel-efficient as possible—optimising aircraft types and routes. The second way is to choose what we burn,” Mündel said.
Otto added:
“The beauty of SAF is that we can drop it into the fuel tank and use it as is with existing aircraft, fuel tankers, and fuel infrastructure.”
In 2021, DHL Group reported total emissions of 40 million metric tonnes of CO₂, including emissions from suppliers and subcontractors. It set an ambitious target to reduce this figure to 29 million metric tonnes by 2030, and to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
Mündel also highlighted that customer demand for low-emission logistics had grown significantly, as transport emissions often accounted for a large portion of their scope 3 emissions. DHL viewed SAF as an effective solution that delivered immediate emissions reductions without requiring major fleet changes.
The partnership with Neste played a key role in enabling this transition. Neste, one of DHL’s first strategic SAF suppliers, delivered the initial SAF batches to the company in 2020. Carl Nyberg, senior vice president, commercial, renewable products at Neste, praised DHL’s proactive stance:
“I believe DHL can act as a change agent for the logistics and transport sectors with its ‘let’s do it’ attitude, showing that we can accelerate the decarbonisation of the industry.”
Nyberg further emphasised the scalability of SAF and renewable diesel as drop-in fuels, highlighting that production ramp-up and broader adoption would depend on sustained corporate commitment and supportive government regulation. He called for stronger regulatory measures to help close the cost gap between fossil and renewable fuels and to facilitate the major investments needed for scaling production.
“SAF will play an important role in decarbonising aviation. Its significance will grow over the coming years, supported by regulation and industry collaboration,” he said.
Through their joint efforts, DHL and Neste demonstrated how strategic partnerships and existing technologies could drive immediate, impactful progress towards a more sustainable logistics sector.
For more information visit www.neste.com
