Why we need to work together to make logistics green

To achieve sustainable logistics, there’s no getting around the development of sustainable fuels. We see great potential, but we can’t go it alone.

While many aspects of life today are decidedly digital, the logistics of getting things from A to B still remains mostly a physical endeavor. A vast vehicular network forms the backbone of global trade, which is essential for the global economy and drives prosperity around the world.

As the leading company in our industry, we’re proud of the work we do to connect people in every part of the world and enable progress around the globe. However, we also know our industry has a special responsibility for the future. Why? Because a sustainable economy is unthinkable without sustainable logistics.

Green logistics requires action

 And that’s why we’re taking the lead in green logistics, pioneering the way forward with our sights set on a climate-neutral future. Back in 2008, we became the first logistics company to set measurable environmental and climate protection targets. The success we achieved pursuing those targets inspired us to go one further and make it our mission to cut our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. To ensure we get there, we’ve established intermediate goals, such as increasing our carbon efficiency by 50% compared with 2007 levels by 2025. We’ve already made significant progress, but ultimately to achieve our goals we will have to do more than simply increase efficiency and modernize our fleet. We must also act as a driving force behind the transition from fossil fuels to clean alternative fuels.

Electricity is already a key resource in “last mile” and short-haul transport. In Germany, we now have more than 10,000 StreetScooters on the roads – an electric delivery van we developed ourselves – and they’ll soon become a common sight around Europe. In urban areas, we are helping lower local air pollution levels by deploying more and more cargo bikes and e-scooters, for example ins Southeast Asia. Still, about 80% of our transports involve long-haul, heavy-duty trucks, aircrafts or ocean vessels. As of now, it doesn’t look like we’ll see the commercial use of electric drive systems in long-haul vehicles in the foreseeable future. The same applies for passenger transportation. That means there is simply no getting around the development of sustainable fuels if we want to achieve sustainable logistics.

Green logistics requires innovation

Fortunately, work on carbon-neutral fuels has accelerated in recent years and a wide array of potentially sustainable fuels now exists, ranging from well-known alternatives like biofuels and hydrogen to lesser-known options like synthetic fuels. Each of these alternatives has strengths and weaknesses. Each comes with its own set of challenges. Unfortunately, no single fuel or technology is emerging as the obvious choice – the ideal alternative has yet to be found.

For companies, the ultimate goal is to find the sweet spot between environmental performance, commercial viability, and operational feasibility. The primary requirements are a continuous supply of reasonably priced fuel, solid and well-oiled infrastructure, and an extensive network of filling stations. International compatibility is also critical, which means our efforts need to be far more coordinated – extending across national boundaries and industry sectors.

Green logistics requires collaboration

We’ve been pushing for the development of alternative fuels for years. Deutsche Post DHL Group is one of the charter members of the Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg e. V.), an organization that aims to drive the research, production and usage of sustainable aviation fuel, and the Global Alliance Powerfuels, which seeks to foster the development of a global market for powerfuels. We’ve also leveraged our large fleet of vehicles to gain extensive experience with a wide range of fuels and technologies, both in tests and live operations.

In order to bring more people on board to help us drive green logistics, we’ve put together a study to outline the current status of alternative fuels and explore their potential. By sharing the knowledge we have gained, we hope to provide a vision for a climate-neutral future, highlight ways to get there, and generate momentum for further development and innovation.

Sustainable fuels are going to play a critical role in how the logistics industry reduces its impact on the climate. Let’s join forces, bundle our expertise and follow an intelligent strategy to create a world in which sustainable logistics fosters a sustainable economy.

Find out more at www.dpdhl.com/sustainable-fuels