Pharmaceutical products from Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease will now be transported more sustainably in Ireland and across Europe as DHL Global Forwarding, Freight moves to hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) to power its trucks.
According to DHL, the use of HVO will reduce annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by up to 90% compared with diesel fuel. The initiative covers both domestic and international routes from the Dublin and Athlone facilities.
Maurice Meade, managing director at DHL Global Forwarding Freight Ireland, commented, “This is another step in the right direction as we strive to run more sustainable operations for our customers that reduce the inherent greenhouse emissions in transporting goods. We are delighted to see Alexion be one of the trailblazers to make this significant switch in approach and thereby follow up on their sustainability goals with clear actions.”
Sylvia Kiely, vice president – global supply chain and product strategy lead, Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease, added, “Today’s announcement with DHL to move from diesel to HVO fuel is another milestone in our commitment to reducing our environmental impact, and dependency on fossil fuels within our global supply chain in relation to Scope 3. By working with our partners such as DHL to extend eco-conscious practices to our full freight network, we can further minimize our environmental impact and dependency on fossil fuels within our global supply chain.”
With 500 HVO-based deliveries annually to 10 European countries, DHL Global Forwarding, Freight and Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease believe the cooperation will set new standards for sustainable logistics in the pharmaceutical industry.
