It’s easy to claim sustainability, but proving it is harder. That’s why we’ll keep it short and to the point: We’ve received the GoGreen Plus certificate from DHL Express for the year 2025—externally audited by the certification body SGS. The result: 87.12% fewer well-to-wheel CO₂e emissions for our international air freight shipments compared to standard shipping using conventional kerosene.
What’s the story behind this?
Since 2025, our express air freight shipments have been handled through the DHL GoGreen Plus service. This service covers the portion of our shipments powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) —aviation fuel produced from sources such as used cooking oil and animal byproducts, rather than fossil crude oil.
An overview of the figures from the certificate:
| Key Metric | With GoGreen Plus | Standard Shipping |
|---|---|---|
| Total CO₂e emissions (well-to-wheel) | 15.24 kg | 118.32 kg |
| Freight Volume | 149.06 metric ton-kilometers | 149.06 tkm |
| CO₂e intensity | 102.22 g/tkm | 793.77 g/tkm |
Emissions Avoided in 2025: 103.08 kg CO₂e (−87.12%).
Why “Well-to-Wheel”?
“Well-to-Wheel” means that the assessment covers not only combustion in the aircraft, but the entire chain—from fuel production to transportation. It is not a selective, rosy view of just one part of the process, but rather the fuel’s complete carbon footprint.
Don’t compensate—reduce
It’s important to us to make this distinction: Here, emissions aren’t “offset” somewhere else—for example, through tree-planting projects on the other side of the world. The reduction takes place directly within the transportation chain, right where the emissions are generated. The sustainable jet fuel is used at certified locations via a book-and-claim process (including those operated by Neste, Shell, and World Fuel Services, certified under ISCC CORSIA and ISCC Plus).
Independently audited
These figures do not come from us, nor do they come solely from DHL: The entire calculation was verified by the independent auditing firm SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance). The complete certificate (ID: DHL-EXP-TDI-202512-0113595) is available for download here:
Context – to be honest
103 kg of CO₂e doesn’t sound like we’re saving the planet—and we’re not claiming that either. It’s the carbon footprint of our air freight shipments, and we’ve reduced it in areas where we have direct influence. A small adjustment, executed cleanly, and transparently documented. That’s exactly how we understand responsibility: no big promises, just verifiable steps.
Outlook
In 2026, we’ll continue to ship our international express shipments via GoGreen Plus. We’ll post the next certificate here on the blog—with real numbers, not just buzzwords.
Do you have questions about our shipping or our shipments? Contact us —we’ll be happy to help.