DHL, an international express shipping provider, has recently advanced several of its sustainability initiatives as part of its ongoing commitment to environmental protection.

These environmentally-conscious practices minimize the impact of DHL's shipping network on the environment through more efficient transport, innovative technologies, and services that reduce and offset carbon emissions. They are introduced as DHL recognizes the U.S. Department of Energy initiative that promotes conservation and a clean energy economy during National Energy Awareness Month.

On September 30th, DHL completed its deployment of a fully green fleet of pickup and delivery vehicles in Manhattan. This fleet included 30 battery-powered electric vans and 50 hybrid trucks and enabled DHL to serve customers via sustainable solutions and improved resource efficiency by cutting down fossil fuel use, and in combination, reducing carbon diozide emissions by more than 50 percent each year, in comparison to conventional vehicles.

The battery-powered electric vehicles are charged with green electricity provided by ConEdison Solutions and produced from renewable energy sources such as wind. DHL has been integrating the new vehicles into its fleet while phasing out gas-powered models.

At the same time, a new environmentally-friendly Paperless Clearance feature will enable DHL customers to electronically transmit documents to Customs – eliminating the need to print and manually attach them to shipments. Available on October 31st, as part of a new DHL-USA.com website, the new feature will save customers shipment preparation time. Since DHL customers will no longer have to attach hard copy export documents like Certificates of Origin, Commercial and Pro Forma Invoices, they will collectively save millions of sheets of paper each year; reduce waste; and boost preservation of natural resources including water, trees, and energy.

A DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service, available to Express import and export customers in 41 countries, enables customers to offset their estimated carbon dioxide emissions for a service charge that is used by DHL to invest in high quality, gold standard, and official Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) environmental protection projects. Standard Chartered Bank is the first bank to adopt DHL GOGREEN Carbon Neutral service globally, signing a worldwide contract to make 95 percent of the bank's international courier services carbon neutral.

"Energy efficiency is the largest ecological challenge faced by transportation companies such as ours," said Ian Clough, CEO of DHL Express U.S. "We are constantly looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and create sustainable solutions for our customers."