DHL Global Forwarding and Hapag-Lloyd have signed a three-year framework agreement to cut Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions through the use of sustainable marine fuels — marking a significant step forward in their shared commitment to decarbonizing global supply chains.
As part of this agreement, the first order of 25,000 tons of CO2e well-to-wake (WTW) emission reduction was successfully executed in July 2025.
The biofuels are second-generation biofuels produced from waste and residue feedstock, demonstrating the companies' unwavering commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"The signing of this three-year framework agreement marks a crucial step toward realizing our shared vision of a decarbonized shipping industry," said Casper Ellerbaek, head of global ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding.
"We are thrilled to partner with Hapag-Lloyd in driving the adoption of sustainable marine fuels and the book and claim mechanism, ultimately empowering our customers to achieve their climate goals."
The agreement demonstrates the practical application of the "book and claim" chain of custody mechanism, allowing customers to separately claim Scope 3 emission reductions for their transport, distinct from the physical use of the fuel.
The statement said that, by decoupling decarbonization from physical transportation, sustainable marine fuel, enabled by book and claim, is emerging as a vital tool to drive early action in the shipping industry, particularly given that the global supply of sustainable marine fuels is currently limited and of higher cost.
"We are delighted to have completed this order with DHL, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of using sustainable marine fuels to reduce Scope 3 emissions through our Ship Green product," said Danny Smolders, managing director Global Sales at Hapag-Lloyd.
"Partnering with DHL shows how powerful collaboration can be. Together, we are creating real momentum in further decarbonizing supply chains, one bold step at a time."
Both companies are committed to ambitious decarbonization targets, with Hapag-Lloyd aiming to achieve net-zero fleet emissions by 2045 and DHL striving to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Offering more sustainable logistics solutions to customers is a key lever to achieve these goals.
DHL's GoGreen Plus products provide decarbonized solutions across DHL's core offerings by leveraging sustainable fuels and low-carbon technology.
GoGreen Plus products are based on actual value chain decarbonization, enabled by the 'book & claim' approach.
GoGreen Plus enables customers to reduce their indirect Scope 3 emissions within their value chain, arising from upstream and downstream transportation and distribution. It also helps customers with the voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their progress against decarbonization targets.
Meanwhile, Hapag-Lloyd has been deploying second-generation biofuels since 2020. Since 2023, it has been offering its customers the possibility to claim the resulting emission reductions through "Ship Green," its emission-reduced ocean transport product utilizing biofuel blends instead of traditional fossil marine fuel oil (MFO).