OREANDA-NEWS. DHL Global Forwarding is the first forwarder in the industry to launch a new green service that allows customers to opt for carbon efficient ocean freight, which best fits their transport needs. Available immediately, the new Green Danmar service - offered through Danmar Lines, DHL's own NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) - enables customers to select a carrier for full container shipping, which is over 5 percent more carbon efficient than the industry average. In addition, they have the choice to combine this service with DHL's offsetting solution and turn their consignment into a CO2 free shipment. Environmentally conscious customers now have the option to further improve ocean freight carbon efficiency, and thus come one step closer to achieving their CO2 reduction goals.

"We see more and more customers expressing an interest in minimizing the carbon footprint of their shipments," said Dominique von Orelli, Senior Vice President, FCL Product & Capacity Management, DHL Global Forwarding. "With Green Danmar, we are the first freight forwarding company to offer customers a green service for their ocean freight shipments that can be tailored according to their supply chain needs."

The newly launched green service can be optionally selected by customers using DHL Ocean Direct FCL product. Through a strict vendor management process, carriers whose carbon efficiency (g CO2/TEU km) is at least 5 percent above the industry average are identified. From the eligible green carriers, Danmar Lines will choose the one which best fits customer's operational needs at the best cost available.

Improvement of carbon efficiency by over 40 percent since 2007

With DHL Global Forwarding's expert knowledge of carrier's environmental performance, capacities, availability and rates, customers have a series of benefits. They can profit from transparency on carriers' environmental performance, DHL's carrier relationships as well as from strict certification and auditing procedures. Furthermore, customers receive regular carbon reports, annual shipments overviews and offsetting certificates, which they can easily include in their corporate responsibility reports.

Since 2007 DHL Global Forwarding has improved its carbon efficiency in ocean freight by over 40 percent. This solid result can be tracked back, on one hand, to the technological progress of the industry, such as the introduction of bigger and more efficient ocean vessels, and secondly, to DHL's carrier management and selection approach.

DHL's carrier selection approach is based on the GoGreen carrier scorecards, which evaluate the environmental performance of the partner carriers based on four criteria: cooperation, carbon efficiency, transparency and engagement. The new evaluation scheme was introduced in December 2015 by providing ocean freight partners of DHL Global Forwarding with GoGreen Performance Certificates. This is further followed by bi-lateral discussions on how to continuously improve carbon efficiency and foster sustainable ocean freight business across the industry.

DHL Global Forwarding is a member of the Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG), which is a business-to-business initiative that creates practical tools for measuring and reducing the environmental impacts of global goods transportation.