DHL and Henkel agree to enhance use of sustainable marine fuel

September 23, 2025, by Ajsa Habibic

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, has initiated a new phase of collaboration with Henkel, a chemical and consumer goods company, to boost the use of sustainable marine fuel (SMF), aiming for reductions in transport-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The initiative builds on the companies’ project in 2024, when they piloted sustainable marine fuel on a selected part of Henkel’s volumes. In addition, the two companies are already collaborating on projects to reduce GHG emissions through transport mode optimization and shipment consolidation.

The partners have now decided to take this collaboration to the next level, where ocean carriers utilize waste- and residues-based maritime fuels on behalf of DHL Global Forwarding.

DHL Global Forwarding then allocates the resulting emissions reductions to Henkel via Book & Claim, enabling DHL to directly replace fossil fuels with sustainable fuels within its network and allocate environmental benefits to paying customers – even when their shipments are not physically transported with the assets using these fuels, the company explained.

DHL Global Forwarding intends to utilize sustainable marine fuel for the majority of Henkel’s ocean freight volumes.

Under the agreement, around 9,000 TEUs of ocean freight is to be transported with DHL’s GoGreen Plus service in 2025.

Utilizing sustainable marine fuel is projected to reduce GHG emissions on a well-to-wake basis by approximately 4,700 metric tons of CO₂e – equivalent to a reduction of around 85% of GHG on the main haul compared to conventional marine fuel.

The emission reductions will be verified by an independent certification body, SGS.

“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, Henkel. “Simultaneously, it helps accelerate the overall transition to low-emission logistics in our industry.”

Amanda Rasmussen, Chief Commercial Officer at DHL Global Forwarding, stated: “This expansion of our partnership is another milestone in our joint decarbonization journey. By combining Henkel’s ambitious climate strategy with our sustainable logistics solutions, we are demonstrating that progress toward decarbonizing supply chains is possible today. We hope this agreement will inspire other companies to transition to low-emission transportation services using Sustainable Marine Fuel.”