DHL Express Japan and Sagawa Express Sign GoGreen Plus Agreement to Reduce GHG Emissions of International Air Shipments

DHL Express, the world’s leading international express service provider and Sagawa Express Co., Ltd., a leading express shipping company in Japan, have signed a GoGreen Plus agreement. Sagawa Express is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with its express shipments by around 10% through DHL Express’s GoGreen Plus service using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

How GoGreen Plus fits into Sagawa Express’s service

Sagawa Express will leverage DHL Express network to support customers on their shipping needs through its shipping service, Hikyaku Global Express. Powered by the DHL Express network, this service ensures fast delivery to over 220 countries and territories worldwide. SG Holdings Group, the holding company of Sagawa Express, aims to achieve carbon neutrality (net-zero carbon dioxide emissions) by 2050. The new GoGreen Plus deal is part of the company's decarbonization efforts toward this goal.

“We are very happy to have been able to introduce DHL GoGreen Plus.  The emission of greenhouse gases, which are considered to be a major cause of global warming, is a critical and pressing issue for our company, as an operator of a logistics business.  Our company has been working to introduce environmentally friendly vehicles, and through our recent partnership with DHL, we have been able to realize cleaner and more efficient air shipping services.  We will continue to build sustainable logistics and provide better services to our customers,” says Mr. Kimiaki Sasamori,  President of Sagawa Express Co., Ltd.

“We are delighted to conclude a contract with our long-standing and trusted partner, Sagawa Express, who recognizes the value of our GoGreen Plus service.  Sagawa Express and DHL share the same vision of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  We hope to continue contributing to the reduction of our environmental impact by working with more like-minded partners,” says Tony Khan, President and Representative Director of DHL Express Japan. 

DHL Express’s decarbonization initiatives

DHL Express is committed to contributing to DHL Group’s goal of achieving net-zero logistics-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In addition to promoting the electrification of pick-up and delivery vehicles globally, utilizing SAF in air transportation, and designing carbon-neutral facilities, DHL Express launched GoGreen Plus in 2023. This service is the industry’s first international shipping solution that allows customers to reduce their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions footprint through the use of SAF. In Japan, more than 6,000 customers have onboarded the GoGreen Plus service.

GoGreen Plus products are based on true value chain decarbonization – insetting – rather than carbon compensation or offsetting. This is enabled by the ‘book & claim’ approach. Book & claim enables DHL to directly replace fossil fuels with sustainable fuels within our network and allocate environmental benefits to paying customers, even when their shipments are not physically transported with the assets using these fuels.

DHL Express has signed some of the largest contracts in the industry to procure Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This includes the agreements with bp and Neste in 2022, and with World Energy in 2023.  In January 2025, DHL Express signed the contract with Cosmo Oil Marketing Co., Ltd. in Japan, marking the company’s first SAF procurement in Asia. With this deal, the company will begin using the locally produced SAF for its regular cargo shipping services starting in April 2025. This initiative is also the first of its kind for the international express industry in Asia. 

For more details about GoGreen Plus, please check: https://www.dhl.com/discover/ja-jp/logistics-advice/sustainability-and-green-logistics/gogreen-plus