Klima Protect | Sustainable shipping with GLS*
Choose our GLS Klima Protect strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when shipping parcels and invest in climate protection projects with us.
Send sustainable with us!As a GLS business customer: Send all parcels sustainably!
The environment and the climate need our protection and it is also becoming increasingly important to act in an environmentally conscious manner in the business sector. Your customers expect you to act sustainably and your company should certainly also fulfil this requirement. So use a parcel shipping provider that acts in an ecologically and socially responsible manner.
*Sustainable parcel shipping means that, in addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from parcel shipping as part of the GLS Climate Protect environmental strategy by converting the fleet of delivery vehicles to alternative drive types, using renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency at our locations we also voluntarily invest in certified climate protection projects to compensate emissions.
Sustainable shipping in just 3 steps:
As a GLS business customer, you can make your contribution to climate protection and ship your products sustainably with GLS Klima Protect.
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More sustainable shipping - these are your advantages:
With sustainable shipping through GLS Climate Protect, you are making an effective contribution to climate protection.
Become a GLS business customer and benefit from sustainable parcel shipping with GLS Climate Protect at any time.
With the official offset certificates from our international partner, you can prove your contribution to climate protection every year.
As a responsible company that makes a contribution to climate protection, you can reach completely new target groups.
Thanks to your contribution to climate protection, your existing customers will also remain loyal to you.
By acting sustainably, you attract and retain potential employees to your company.
How does GLS implement sustainable parcel shipping?
As part of our GLS Climate Protect environmental strategy, we are focusing on a wide range of investments in all areas of the company, including energy efficiency, the use of renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gases. A central component is the transition of the delivery vehicle fleet to sustainable drive systems for parcel delivery to our business and private customers.
Depots and infrastructure: We explicitly take ecological and social aspects into account in all new, replacement and extension buildings. We invest in modern, environmentally friendly technologies across the board to ensure that our equipment is environmentally friendly. The use of rainwater, photovoltaics, recyclable building materials, heat pumps, efficient lighting technology and thermally insulated building envelopes play an important role here. We use green electricity at almost all of our locations.
Conversion of the vehicle fleet to e-mobility: We are gradually converting our entire vehicle fleet to vehicles that are emission-free (e.g. electric or hydrogen vehicles) and low-emission (e.g. bio-CNG, bio-LNG, HVO100 vehicles) compared to conventional drive systems - this applies both to the fleet of our transport partners and to our own company car fleet. We are also creating the necessary charging infrastructure in our depots for the ongoing expansion of e-mobility.
Micro-depots close to the city: In order to optimise and shorten transport processes in city logistics, we are setting up micro-depots close to the city. From here, vehicles that are emission-free in operation compared to conventional drives (e.g. electric vehicles or cargo bikes) go on delivery tours. This saves transport routes, reduces noise and thus protects people and the environment.
Minimisation of transport routes: We rely on modern, IT-supported planning tools to continuously improve our operational processes and transport procedures. This enables us to consistently minimise our transport routes and thus avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
We support climate protection projects
General Logistics Systems B.V. (GLS B.V.) cooperates with with ClimatePartner GmbH (ClimatePartner) to compensate greenhouse gas emissions by investing in climate protection projects.
As part of GLS B.V., we as General Logistics Systems Germany GmbH & Co. OHG (GLS Germany), in cooperation with ClimatePartner, are additionally and voluntarily compensating a calculated amount of greenhouse gas emissions for the financial year 2025/26 (01.04.2025 - 31.03.2026) resulting from the transportation of parcels of our business customers. Further information on emission compensation and our investments in climate protection projects can be found below.
For us, sustainable parcel shipping means that, in addition to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions generated by parcel shipping as part of the GLS Climate Protect environmental strategy by converting the fleet of delivery vehicles to alternative drive types, using renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency at our locations, we as GLS Germany will additionally and voluntarily offset a calculated amount of greenhouse gas emissions (approx. 140,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents) for the 2025/26 financial year (01.04.2025 - 31.03. 2026), we will additionally and voluntarily offset a calculated amount of greenhouse gas emissions (approx. 140,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents) - which arise from the transport of parcels from our business customers - via certified climate protection projects to avoid and remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere and to support sustainable forest management and reforestation with our partner company ClimatePartner (see project overview below).
The climate protection projects for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, in which GLS Germany invests in cooperation with ClimatePartner, help to avoid and remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere and support sustainable forest management and reforestation (see project overview below). The impact of these climate protection projects results from the reforestation (approx. 13,000 hectares) and preservation of the CO2 storage capacity of forests (approx. 8,000 hectares) in Colombia as well as the expansion of wind and solar energy plants in India, which reduces the use of fossil energy generation plants and avoids the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation.
As GLS Germany, we offer our business customers the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions caused by parcel shipping via the climate protection projects selected by us in cooperation with ClimatePartner as an individual service on request. This service includes offsetting the amount of greenhouse gases resulting from the calculated product of the number of parcel and freight shipments of business customers multiplied by the value of the average greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 equivalents per parcel and freight shipment) for the respective shipping country. As our offsetting partner, ClimatePartner acquires on behalf of General Logistics Systems B.V. (GLS B.V.) on the voluntary offsetting market so-called Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) - verified emission reductions that confirm that a certain amount of greenhouse gas emissions has been reduced, avoided or removed through climate protection projects - in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions calculated and selected for GLS Germany for offsetting (approx. 140,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents for the financial year 2025/26 / 01.04.2025 - 31.03.2026).
Based on these VERs, ClimatePartner issues its own offsetting certificates for the business customers of GLS Germany who utilise offsetting as a service on demand, confirming that the amount of greenhouse gas emissions stated on the certificates has been offset. The GLS B.V. website provides a detailed overview of the process from the purchase of the VERs to the issue of the offset certificates by ClimatePartner.
The climate protection projects supported by GLS Germany to offset greenhouse gas emissions are certified according to international standards, such as the Gold Standard (GS), which was developed by the WWF and other environmental organisations (see project overview below). As an international standard for the certification of climate protection projects, the GS is characterised by a focus on additional sustainability aspects in addition to the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions.
Projects certified in accordance with the GS therefore also make a positive contribution to sustainable development and environmental protection. The climate protection projects for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions in which GLS Germany invests in cooperation with ClimatePartner differ according to the type of verified emission reductions (VERs) on which they are based. VERs for the avoidance of emissions (so-called ‘avoidance carbon credits’) originate from compensation projects that prevent potential greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere. For example, renewable energy projects - such as wind and solar power - that replace fossil fuel-based electricity sources contribute to the avoidance of future greenhouse gas emissions.
VERs for the removal of emissions (so-called ‘removal carbon credits’) come from compensation projects that remove greenhouse gas emissions that have already been emitted from the atmosphere and store them over a longer period of time. For example, afforestation and reforestation projects remove greenhouse gases by absorbing CO₂ through photosynthesis processes and storing it in trees.
Our Supported Climate Protection Projects
Have we aroused your interest?
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We will be happy to make you an offer that is perfectly tailored to your needs. To do this, we need just a little information from you. Simply fill out the business customer form.
Are you wondering which service package is best suited to your company? Let's talk about it! Arrange a non-binding callback now - our experts will advise you individually.
ParcelShops also help to reduce emissions!
Open your GLS ParcelShop now!
This allows you to offer online shoppers the option of picking up their parcels in their immediate neighbourhood - e.g. after an unsuccessful delivery attempt. Your ParcelShop can also be specified as the collection address during the ordering process. This means that a delivery attempt at the front door is not necessary in advance, which saves travelling and emissions.
