DHL Global Forwarding and German consumer goods and industrial group Henkel have announced an expansion of their sustainability partnership, significantly scaling up the use of waste- and residues-based sustainable marine fuels (SMF) in Henkel’s global supply chain.
Under the new agreement, DHL will deploy SMF for the majority of Henkel’s ocean freight volumes, using a Book & Claim system to allocate the resulting emissions reductions. Book & Claim enables customers to benefit from the environmental impact of sustainable fuels, even if their shipments are not physically transported using the specific assets powered by them.
The arrangement covers around 9,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of ocean freight in 2025, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 4,700 tonnes of CO₂e. DHL said this equates to a cut of around 85% on a well-to-wake basis compared with conventional marine fuels. Emission reductions will be verified by certification body SGS.
“This expansion of our partnership is another milestone in our joint decarbonisation journey,” said Amanda Rasmussen, Chief Commercial Officer at DHL Global Forwarding. “By combining Henkel’s ambitious climate strategy with our sustainable logistics solutions, we are demonstrating that progress toward decarbonising supply chains is possible today.”
Henkel said the partnership aligns with its goal of reducing logistics emissions and accelerating the wider shift to low-carbon transport. “Working with DHL Global Forwarding on sustainable transport solutions is an important part of our strategy to reduce emissions within our logistics processes,” said Ondrej Slezacek, Global Category Manager Sea & Air Freight at Henkel.
The initiative builds on a 2024 pilot project between the two companies involving limited volumes of SMF. The expansion highlights both firms’ determination to scale logistics decarbonisation and signals growing demand for sustainable fuels in the maritime sector.
