DP World offers 50kg carbon credits to UK box importersDP World offers 50kg carbon credits to UK box importers

DP World is launching a six-month trial of a carbon insetting offer at its London Gateway and Southampton terminals in the UK.

From 1 January 2025, importers will receive 50kg CO₂e of carbon credits for each loaded import container moved through DP World’s UK terminals. The carbon credits on offer in the trial are not generated by the DP World terminals, but by group company Unifeeder.

Unifeeder’s North European feeder network has deployed lower-carbon fuels in its operations, including through the use of biofuels. The company has also invested in increased energy efficiency for its fleet, and the future deployment of methanol-capable ships from 2026.

The verified and pooled carbon credits from Unifeeder will allow importers to access independently verified carbon credits, the company said.

Insetting relates to investments in a company’s own supply chain to reduce carbon emissions, whereas offsetting supports external, unrelated decarbonisation activities to compensate for a company’s own emissions.

“For businesses, this represents a transparent and measurable way to cut Scope-3 emissions – indirectly produced along the supply chain, while demonstrating sustainability commitments to customers,” said DP World.

Unifeeder launched its own carbon insetting programme in June 2024, GreenBox, selling the carbon savings from its alternative fuels to customers, allowing them to support Unifeeder’s decarbonisation activities.

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DP World claimed that if 50% of its import volumes took part in the carbon insetting project, 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions could be avoided by replacing 11,000 tonnes of traditional fuels with lower-carbon alternatives.

John Trenchard, vice president – commercial & supply chain, DP World in the UK, said: “Insetting carbon emissions is a transparent, direct and pragmatic approach with immediate measurable impact for our customers. By providing easy access to an independently certified inset programme, we aim to create better awareness and encourage the adoption of more sustainable practices.

“By participating in the trial, a world first, import cargo owners can actively contribute to global decarbonisation efforts while aligning with their own sustainability goals.”

Christian Hoepfner, director group decarbonisation at Unifeeder Group, added: “We are supporting DP World in the UK in their innovative Carbon Inset Programme by contributing verified GHG reductions generated on our vessels operating in Europe.”

The UK carbon price for civil penalties under the UK ETS in 2025 will be £41.48 per tonne.

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