A new carbon inset trial launched by DP World, named Insetify, will begin on 1 April and target ocean freight forwarding customers in Belgium, Portugal and Sweden.
It offers automatic quarterly carbon inset credits to qualifying importers and exporters, calculated at 100 kg of CO2e per TEU shipped once a threshold of 25 TEUs per quarter is met. A shipper moving 50 TEUs in a quarter would receive credits equivalent to 5 tonnes of CO2e.
It builds on a UK-based scheme introduced in January 2025 at Southampton and London Gateway, which has registered more than 250,000 TEUs and issued over 9,000 tonnes of CO2e in credits. The expansion into Europe reflects growing demand for verifiable emissions reductions and increased scrutiny of indirect emissions across logistics networks.
Unlike traditional offsetting mechanisms, which typically fund external projects such as reforestation, carbon insetting focuses on reducing emissions within the value chain itself. In this case, credits are generated through the deployment of incrementally lower-carbon fuels within DP World Shipping Solutions, a company subsidiary.
Scope 3 emissions, which can account for between 70 and 90 per cent of a company’s total carbon footprint, remain one of the most complex challenges for procurement and sustainability teams. These emissions sit outside direct operational control and require coordination across multiple suppliers, including shipping lines, freight forwarders and inland transport providers.
John Trenchard, VP for Sustainable International Supply Chains, Europe, said: ‘Providing customers with multiple solutions to enable the decarbonisation of supply chains is important to DP World. The Insetify trial allows for a pragmatic approach to managing residual emissions as part of a longer-term, holistic plan. I would encourage organisations to explore how carbon insets can be used as part of intentional progress.’
Bojan Knightly, Country Manager Sweden, Freight Forwarding, said: ‘The launch of the Insetify trial will coincide with the opening of DP World’s new Stockholm and Gothenburg offices. Supporting DP World’s global net zero by 2050 ambition, DP World Sweden is also aiming to offer up to 25 per cent of shipments via rail and sea in the first operational year.’
Credits are applied at no additional cost, lowering the barrier to adoption and allowing procurement teams to demonstrate measurable progress against sustainability targets without altering procurement strategies or increasing spend. This may prove particularly relevant as cost pressures continue and lower-carbon fuels carry a price premium.
The rollout also aligns with DP World’s broader freight forwarding expansion into Scandinavia, including new offices in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The company has indicated that its Swedish operations will aim to shift up to 25 per cent of shipments to rail and sea in their first year, alongside a transition to fully digital documentation processes.
