DHL Express Helps Be Forward Cut GHG Emissions Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Be Forward signed a five-year GoGreen Plus contract towards decarbonizing their transport and supply chains

DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider and Be Forward Co. Ltd., a leading cross-border e-Commerce retailer of used Japanese cars, have signed a five-year GoGreen Plus agreement, an express shipping service that reduces (‘inset’) the greenhouse gas emissions of international express shipments through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).   

With the signing of this agreement, Be Forward can reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with their cross-border shipments of automobile parts which are sold on their website. Reducing CO2 emissions in Scope 3 was a challenge for Be Forward, as the company’s core business is to sell used Japanese automobiles and used car parts to the world extensively, and especially to emerging countries.

Tony Khan, President and Representative Director of DHL Express Japan said, “There is global corporate and societal interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a decarbonized society. We are delighted that Be Forward sees the value of our GoGreen Plus service to help bring down their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.”

Hironori Yamakawa, CEO of Be Forward Co. Ltd. said, “We are very pleased to be working with DHL, a leader in the global logistics industry, and join the GoGreen Plus service. Our company exports a lot to emerging countries so tackling long-term, environmental issues has been a challenge. The GoGreen Plus initiative is one of the first steps of our efforts to reducing the environmental impact of our operations, while we expand the business to more countries.”

Be Forward has long sought to reduce CO2 emissions in its Scope 3 international shipping, especially since trade with emerging countries is a pillar of the company's cross-border EC business. DHL Express’s GoGreen Plus enables customers to invest in SAF even for shipments originating from Japan, via the book-and-claim system¹.  Under Book & Claim, customers in Japan can obtain the environmental benefits, thus reduction of GHG emissions although their shipments are not specifically transported using SAF.

DHL Express is committed to its Mission which aims to achieve net-zero logistics-related emissions by 2050. In addition to promoting the electrification of pick-up and delivery vehicles worldwide, the use of SAF in air transportation, and carbon-neutral designed facilities, DHL Express introduced GoGreen Plus in 2023, which is the industry’s first international shipping service that enables customers to reduce their Scope 3 GHG emissions footprint using SAF. In Japan, approximately 4,000 customers have onboarded the GoGreen Plus service. Since August this year, DHL Express launched a new free-of-charge greenhouse gas emissions report to all its customers in Japan.  

For detail about GoGreen Plus, check: https://www.dhl.com/discover/en-jp/logistics-advice/sustainability-and-green-logistics/gogreen-plus

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¹ The book and claim system is essentially a way to de-couple specific attributes from the physical product, such as reduced GHG emissions, and transfer them separately to another party via a dedicated registry. The buyer ‘books’ a specific quantity of sustainable fuel at the time of purchase and then ‘claim’ the emissions reduction toward their sustainability targets. As a result, the buyer own the environmental benefits without physically possessing the fuel.