Every day, life-saving medicines are shipped from Ireland across Europe. But behind each delivery is a question that companies like Alexion and DHL Express Ireland have been asking themselves: How can we do this in the most sustainable way?
Earlier this year, Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, took a bold step. In partnership with DHL Express, Alexion is now the first company in Ireland to sign up to a 100% switch from traditional aviation fuel to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) — a major milestone for both the pharmaceutical and logistics industries.
Alexion committed to using SAF for 100% of its European air freight shipments — a move that now sees specialised medicines shipped to 19 countries, including France, Germany, and the UK, with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
By replacing traditional jet fuel with SAF — made from waste-based feedstocks like used cooking oil — emissions can be reduced by over 80% on average.
The Power of Partnership
The partnership was made possible through DHL’s GoGreen Plus service, which allows companies to transition to SAF without changing aircraft or supply chain systems. For both Alexion and DHL Express, it wasn’t just about ticking a sustainability box. It was about leading by example.
Internally at Alexion, the move ties into AstraZeneca’s wider ambition to halve Scope 3 emissions by 2030 and reach science-based net zero by 2045. Actions like this bring them within reach.
At DHL Express, the alignment is clear. With its own goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, partnerships like this help to accelerate impact — not just for one customer, but for the entire sector.
What makes this story stand out isn’t just the technology or the targets. It’s the decision to act now. In an industry often driven by long timelines and incremental changes, Alexion and DHL Express made a clear choice: to move faster, to go all-in, and to show that shipping essential medicine and protecting the planet don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
It’s a story of two companies coming together, not just to move parcels, but to move the needle — toward a cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable future for healthcare and logistics.
