GREEN LOGISTICS
Good for the Environment, Good for Business
Today’s leading companies, large and small, are looking for ways to go green. They understand that if we want our planet to remain habitable for generations to come, we must work together now to identify and reduce emissions, make our businesses more sustainable and ultimately move toward a Circular Economy.
Logistics plays a central role in the global economy and therefore the industry can play a crucial part in the way business is done with regard to the environmental impact. That’s also one reason why we’ve made it Read more about and be the industry benchmark for responsible business practices.
DHL is a pioneer of green logistics. We utilize our expertise to make your logistics greener and more sustainable – giving you an edge over the competition. We can also help you find ways to apply circular-economy principles to eradicate waste and retain more of the value that goes into your products.
Case Studies & Best Practices
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A technology sector customer in China wanted to make its carbon footprint more transparent in order to begin working to reduce emissions. The challenge was integrating third-party data into the process. We developed a carbon monitoring solution using our Carbon Dashboard that tracks data from DHL as well as five other logistics service providers. The resulting transparency allowed the customer to benchmark and set targets as well as identify carbon contributors and develop reduction strategies.
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DHL offered global Climate Neutral shipment services to a customer in the financial services sector – a business where vital overnight express shipments result in significant emissions. The goal was to make 95% of the bank’s international courier services climate neutral, and the result was significant annual carbon savings, not to mention an enhanced brand image. What’s more, the carbon credits purchased to offset emissions had no impact on the bank’s operations, while the climate protection projects funded with those credits have had a huge impact on local populations.
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In the United States, a customer working across multiple sectors wanted to build a 250,000-square-foot sustainable distribution center with environmentally responsible design elements and efficient operating systems. The challenge was to design a facility with energy efficient lighting, sky lights, low-flow plumbing, a white roof system, storm water runoff containment, and a recycling program. Close coordination with local city authorities and the local development foundation added to the job’s complexity. In the end, the new distribution center ensures a healthier environment for residents, workers and the local community through minimized energy and water consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and reduced costs. Furthermore, the center achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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A UK airline wanted to design an innovative in-flight catering and waste solution and asked DHL to help. We benchmarked waste rates and came up with a plan to minimize waste to landfill that included the installation of food dryers, a step that reduced the volume of food by 70%. Zero waste to landfill was achieved alongside a 70% reduction in food waste transport costs, significant added value from recovered waste, substantial recycling revenue, and eliminated landfill taxes.
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A customer in the United States that ships approximately 170,000 parcels per annum containing over 1 million cases of product initiated a project with DHL to evaluate right-sized shipment packaging as a response to the question “Why is there so much empty space in each parcel?”. The solution implemented allows site’s complex cartonization system to select a right-sized box on demand for shipments of cases of product, increasing fill percentage and reducing overall number of shipments. The benefits to the customer and environment are tangible:
- Cases packed per outbound parcel increased from 5.9 to 8.52 and “air/void” in box decreased to <10%
- The density of outbound trailers increased 19%, reducing outbound trucks needed, parcel shipping cost savings of over $350,000 dollars per year
- 13% increase on customer feedback scores with zero complaints
- Cases packed per outbound parcel increased from 5.9 to 8.52 and “air/void” in box decreased to <10%
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A customer in the retail sector was looking to reduce carbon emissions in its transport operations between suppliers and Distribution Centres in the UK. DHL worked together with the customer to develop a solution with lasting benefits. The teardrop trailer was chosen as the green solution to fulfill requirements in terms of reducing fuel usage and carbon emissions, as well as allowing the customer to carry more stock per trailer, cutting the number of journeys they need to make. The unique aerodynamic shape of these trailers generates fuel savings of approx. 10% and a 10% increase in cubic capacity. We deployed 399 aerodynamically optimized teardrop trailer trucks that reduce customer’s carbon footprint by more than 2,000 tonnes every year.
