Global logistics giant DP World has launched EcoRoute, a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to help businesses optimise supply chain performance whilst reducing carbon emissions. The initiative combines network design, low-carbon transport, advanced emissions measurement, and strategic partnerships to address the environmental footprint of freight.
Freight and logistics currently account for approximately 10% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. The launch comes at a time when tightening international regulations, investor scrutiny, and consumer expectations are demanding higher standards of sustainability across global supply networks.
EcoRoute aims to tackle these challenges through four core pillars:
Supply chain optimisation
The suite balances transport costs, speed, and environmental impact to build resilience. In Africa, utilizing a centralised Logistics Control Tower solution, DP World assisted a major retailer in increasing its transported freight volumes by 45% while expanding its fleet size by only 5%. This initiative boosted vehicle utilisation to 88%, enhancing operational efficiency.
Low-carbon logistics
The programme introduces modal shift strategies, alternative fuels, electric transport, and sustainable warehousing. In India, DP World achieved a 78% reduction in transport emissions along the Chennai–Kolkata corridor by transitioning a client to a multimodal rail-to-coastal shipping solution, which simultaneously lowered logistics costs and improved reliability.
Carbon insetting programmes
Unlike traditional offsetting, EcoRoute focuses on carbon insetting to help businesses mitigate Scope 3 emissions directly within their own logistics networks. Through insetting initiatives at its Southampton and London Gateway hubs, DP World generated more than 9,400 tonnes of verified carbon dioxide insets across 257,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of cargo flows in 2025 alone.
Emissions measurement and transparency
The platform features a digital Carbon Emissions Calculator powered by EcoTransIT World and aligned with the ISO 14083 standard. The tool offers end-to-end visibility of greenhouse gas emissions across various transport modes, allowing cargo owners to identify specific areas for reduction.
Beat Simon, DP World Group Chief Operating Officer for Logistics, stated that a well-connected supply chain is inherently more sustainable, adding that EcoRoute combines connectivity, data, and operational expertise to deliver efficiency and resilience.
Ayla Bajwa, DP World Group Senior Vice President for Sustainability, remarked that the initiative turns ambition into action by equipping businesses with the tools needed to manage complex supply chains whilst fostering broader environmental and social benefits.
