DSV and Google Cloud Plan SAF Pilot for Air-Freight Shipments

DSV and Google Cloud are reported to have entered a pilot partnership to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for Google Cloud air-freight shipments. The pilot is expected to secure up to 9.7 million litres of fuel.

Key details

• The partnership concerns a key route used for Google Cloud air-freight shipments; the route has not been identified.
• DSV reports that the SAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by 85% compared with conventional fossil jet fuel.
• The projected emissions reduction for the pilot is 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), compared with conventional jet fuel.
• DSV says the fuel will use waste and residue materials, excluding palm and palm-derived materials, and will carry International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).
• The partners will use a book-and-claim approach to allocate emissions reductions, with records kept in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate Registry and DSV's internal tracking system.

The pilot could secure up to 9.7 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel.

Why it matters

Book-and-claim accounting allows a company to claim SAF-related emissions reductions even when the fuel gets used elsewhere in the aviation network. The registry and DSV's internal tracking system are intended to assign each tonne of CO₂e reduction to a specific shipper and prevent double-counting.