Curbing carbon emissions the DHL way

Since 2001 the bulk of WWF couriering has been courtesy of DHL. Now that is immense support for a conservation organisation!

Rashmi De Roy of Emirates Wildlife Society - World Wide Fund for Nature (EWS-WWF) finds out what more DHL is doing as a socially and environmentally caring - company.

Dar Al Khair: What made DHL join the EWS -WWF Corporate Club?

David Wild, General Manager, DHL-UAE: WWF's wide network across 90 countries, vast experience and professional reputation were the key factors that influenced DHL's decision to support the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organisation.

As part of our commitment towards the society, we at DHL have always supported social and humanitarian issues. The protection of our environment is part of our strategy.
In terms of humanitarian activities, we support the Dubai Centre for Special Needs (DCSN) and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). We have also been actively involved in missions aimed towards aid and development of Tsunami and Katrina affected areas.

Transport is a major contributor to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and, therefore, global warming. If DHL is taking measures to reduce carbon emissions resulting from its operations, would you outline these? Also tell us about your other environmental and corporate citizenship initiatives.

DHL, one of the leading express logistics organisations across the globe, has always led from the front to ensure its activities do not adversely affect the environment. In recent times, DHL has initiated a number of projects to promote a greener environment. For instance, DHL has spent Euro 1 billion over the last four years to buy Boeing 757SF aircraft because these aircrafts are quieter and more fuel-efficient. The new fleet reduces the noise levels by 77% and CO2 emission by 13%.

In addition to introducing Green Parcel, a new product that provides Carbon Neutral commercial parcel shipments, DHL's environmental initiatives mainly focus on:

• Reducing CO2 and other emissions from our vehicles, aircrafts and facilities
• Reducing air and noise pollution from our vehicles and aircrafts
• Minimising waste and encouraging recycling
• Effective utilisation of energy
• Introducing products like Green Tonnage, where transport is made using bio-fuels resulting in lowering CO2 emissions.
• Investing in schemes focused towards forest planting or renewable energy

What are your expectations from the EWS -WWF as its Corporate Club member?

As a Corporate Club member, we are extremely satisfied with EWS - WWF's efforts and hope that they continue to introduce new schemes and missions to support environment and wildlife issues across the globe. We are proud to partner with EWS - WWF and look forward to working alongside them in the future.