1. Large offtake commitments play a catalytic role in stimulating production and market confidence

Volker emphasized that DHL’s long-term SAF purchasing agreements with partners such as BP, Neste, and World Energy are designed to signal strong and credible demand, encouraging producers to invest in scaling capacity and advancing new feedstock pathways. While early demand currently exceeds available supply, such commitments are essential to provide producers with bankability, volume visibility, and investment certainty, especially as more advanced feedstocks must ramp up to meet future market needs. DHL sees its role as an early mover that helps push the industry toward commercial scale, while also demonstrating to policymakers that real demand exists beyond pilot projects.

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2. Long-term SAF contracts are complex, requiring flexibility, resilience, and shared responsibility

DHL’s experience negotiating multi-year SAF agreements has shown that these deals rarely unfold smoothly—technical delays, feedstock constraints, regulatory changes, and pricing uncertainty are unavoidable. Volker explained that successful offtake structures must be built to absorb unforeseen disruptions and enable partners to adjust as market conditions evolve. This requires trust, transparency, and close alignment between all parties, rather than purely transactional negotiation. DHL continues to commit to future offtakes because it believes they are fundamental to scaling SAF and supporting customers’ decarbonization goals, even when uncertainty remains high.

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3. Policy mechanisms are essential to narrow the cost gap between SAF and fossil fuel

Volker stressed that mandates, subsidies, and tax incentives all play important roles—but the best outcomes require a balanced mix of policy instruments. Current SAF mandates in Europe have already stimulated global market attention, creating certainty for investors and producers. However, additional policy refinement is needed, such as developing flexible book-and-claim frameworks that allow airlines and shippers across different geographies to participate in SAF adoption even when fuel cannot be physically delivered to their airports. He also noted that true carbon pricing must be incorporated into fossil fuels to correct the artificial economic disadvantage currently faced by SAF.

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4. Corporate demand momentum is accelerating, driven by customer expectations and reporting pressures

DHL’s GoGreen Plus program, which enables customers to voluntarily purchase SAF to reduce Scope 3 emissions, has grown significantly over the last 18 months. Volker shared that demand for low-carbon logistics services is rising strongly, and companies increasingly view decarbonized supply chains as both a compliance requirement and a competitive advantage. As new climate disclosure rules tighten globally, DHL expects customer willingness to purchase SAF to increase further, further strengthening market sustainability and scaling capacity.​

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5. Meeting DHL’s 30% SAF by 2030 target requires active market monitoring and deep collaboration

The greatest risks to achieving the target lie in supply availability, regulatory uncertainty, and project execution timelines. Volker emphasized that DHL mitigates these risks through continuous market insight, operational and financial partnership with suppliers, and open problem-solving dialogue rather than transactional relationships. DHL sees co-development with its suppliers and customers as essential, ensuring that the sector evolves together rather than as isolated stakeholders.