DHL Launches New Lighting Retrofit Carbon Efficiency Improvement Program Across the Americas Region

Carbon Emissions Improvement Goal of 30 Percent by End of 2020

PLANTATION, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, today announces the launch of a Lighting Retrofit Carbon Efficiency Improvement Program by the Global Forwarding division across the Americas region – setting an aggressive carbon emissions improvement goal of five percent over 2009 baseline figures by the end of 2010. The program will initially be rolled out in the United States before expanding to Mexico and Canada.

As the global leader in logistics, DHL plays an important role in protecting the environment. As part of Deutsche Post DHL and its GoGreen climate protection program, DHL Global Forwarding has committed to improving its carbon efficiency by 30 percent by 2020. Deutsche Post DHL is the first logistics company in its industry to set a quantifiable climate protection target.

In conventional warehousing, an operation’s largest source of electrical energy consumption is lighting used within the facility. The single most impactful carbon abatement strategy for facilities is therefore to use energy efficient lighting. Once DHL Global Forwarding selects a site, a questionnaire is generated in order to better evaluate the overall savings. Several factors are considered in the business case, ranging from: energy savings, maintenance and repairs costs, CO₂ savings, the type of lighting and amount of bulbs required etc. Once the proposal is accepted, the overall process from the start to the completion of the installation, can take an average of two months.

The rollout of the lighting retrofit program will start with DHL Global Forwarding operations in the United States. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania operation will be the first facility to undergo the lighting retrofit with Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Miami, Florida to follow. The San Juan, Puerto Rico operations is also planned in the initial rollout before expanding into Mexico and Canada.

By the end of the year, five percent CO₂ efficiency improvements for DHL Global Forwarding’s operations in the United States and Puerto Rico will be achieved with a utility cost reduction¹ of 50 percent and a projected CO₂ reduction of 52 percent with a return on investment over 15 months.

The logistics industry as a whole provides services that rely heavily on carbon emissions whether this is via air, ocean, truck or rail. According to a recent Delphi (2009) Study², “climate change and its consequences will have a far-reaching effect on logistics. As one of the largest producers of CO₂ emissions, the logistics industry will find itself in a particularly difficult position and under close scrutiny. The rising price of oil and the demand by customers for `green supply chains' will require enormous investments and technological innovation.”

“It is our core value proposition to make our customers more competitive by improving the productivity of their supply chains, identifying solutions that improve energy efficiency, while balancing operational excellence. Implementing a lighting retrofit program in our operations in the Americas, is one of the ways DHL Global Forwarding helps to protect the climate – and minimize operation costs, contributing to a green supply chain for our customers,” said Sonia Nuñez, Head of GoGreen for DHL Global Forwarding, Americas.

DHL Global Forwarding operations in Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California are already utilizing energy efficient lighting. In February 2008 the Toronto, Ontario facility in Canada was built in keeping with Deutsche Post DHL’s global commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The advanced lighting system installed in the new facility is expected to yield a 73 percent reduction in energy consumption for lighting. In addition, the building’s environmentally friendly design will result in greenhouse and noxious gas emission reductions equal to savings of more than 15,000 gallons of gasoline a year and driving 956 fewer miles each day.

¹ Energy savings based on DHL Global Forwarding supplied operating hours and an average kWh rate

² Delivering Tomorrow – Customer Needs in 2020 and Beyond, A Global Delphi Study, © Deutsche Post AG, Bonn, Germany, Edition June 2009

DHL – The Logistics company for the world

DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “The Logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 300,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education.

DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 46 billion euros in 2009.