Germany’s container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd and DHL Global Forwarding have inked a three-year framework agreement to reduce scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions from the use of sustainable marine fuels within Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet.
The first order, under this agreement, of 25,000 tons CO2e well-to-wake (WTW) emission reduction was executed in July 2025.
“This order with DHL demonstrates 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, adding: “Partnering with DHL shows how powerful collaboration can be.”
According to Hapag-Lloyd and DHL, the latest deal showcases the effective application of the ‘book and claim’ chain of custody mechanism, enabling customers to claim scope 3 emission reduction for their transport separately from the physical use of the fuel.
By decoupling decarbonization from the 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 supply of sustainable marine fuels is currently limited globally and of higher cost.
Both companies offer sustainable logistics solutions, Hapag-Lloyd through its Ship Green product and DHL via GoGreen Plus products, allowing customers to reduce their indirect scope 3 emissions in their value chain.
Hapag-Lloyd aims to achieve net-zero fleet emissions by 2045, while DHL targets to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Hapag-Lloyd has been deploying second-generation biofuels since 2020.
In 2023, it began offering the possibility to claim the resulting emission reductions through Ship Green, its emission-reduced ocean transport product, which utilizes biofuel blends instead of traditional fossil marine fuel oil (MFO).
