Oct 25, 2017: Deutsche Post DHL Group joins forces with Fiji and UN Climate Change for the World Climate Summit COP23

Deutsche Post DHL Group is an official partner of the incoming Fijian Presidency for the 2017 UN climate change conference COP23 in Bonn. In addition, the Group is also the official partner for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), completed by its existing partnership with the City of Bonn in the course of COP23. Fiji will be presiding over COP23 as President while UN Climate Change will be hosting the conference at its headquarters in Bonn, with the support of the German Government and the City of Bonn. The event is taking place from November 6 to 17 at the UN Campusand Rheinaue-Park Bonn, on either side of Deutsche Post DHL Group's headquarters. Approximately 20,000 guests from around the globe are expected to join the summit.

'The drua is the symbol on Fiji's COP23 Presidency. It is a reminder to the entire world that we are all in the same canoe when it comes to climate change. We must fill the sail of this canoe with a collective determination to move the climate action agenda forward,' said Peniana Lalabalavu, Chief Coordinator for the COP23 Presidency. 'We would like to express our gratitude for the amazing support provided by Deutsche Post DHL Group, which has used its international network and specialist experience to transfer the drua and other artifacts to Bonn'.

Providing climate neutral shipping services

Deutsche Post DHL Group is not only supporting its partners by providing climate neutral shipping services and logistics support but also helping to facilitate the conference by offering spaces and meeting areas. Additionally, the Group is also organizing an extensive program ranging from exhibitions of its e-fleet to activities promoting sustainability such as tree planting initiatives involving employees as well as Bonn citizens. 'We are proud to join forces with Fiji and the UN Climate Change, united in our common goal of protecting the environment. Green logistics can play a key role in combating climate change. This is why we have introduced our GoGreenMission 2050 that aims to reduce our own logistics-related emissions to net zero by 2050, leading the way into a new era of sustainable logistics.' says Christof Ehrhart, Executive Vice President Corporate Communications and Corporate Responsibility at Deutsche Post DHL Group.

Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson and Director of the Communication and Outreach Program (CO), UN Climate Change adds: 'UN Climate Change is honored to be hosting COP 23 and is determined to support strong and positive outcomes that will advance climate action across the globe. Deutsche Post DHL Group is a strong supporter of our joint endeavor working towards a sustainable future and as well an ideal partner for realizing our ambitions to make the event of the COP 23 environmentally-friendly'.

Sustainability and responsibility are integral components of Deutsche Post DHL Group's corporate strategy, In 2008 the Group became the first global player in the logistics industry to establish a climate protection target. This goal - to improve its carbon efficiency by 30% over the 2007 baseline by the year 2020 - was achieved in 2016, four years ahead of schedule. In 2017 the company set its sights on another ambitious goal: by 2050 the Group wants to reduce all transport-related emissions to net zero and thus contribute to the 'well below' 2 degrees Celsius global warming goal established at the 2015 UN Paris Climate Conference (COP 21). Already back in 2013, Deutsche Post DHL Group made Bonn a model city for carbon-free delivery vehicles, and today operates more than 100 of the Group's own StreetScooters in the Bonn region.

DHL Trade Fairs & Events delivers Fijian exhibits to Bonn

As an official partner, DHL Trade Fairs & Events (TFE), a business unit of DHL Freight, is responsible for special logistics and has supported the construction of the conference site. As a symbol of this partnership and the conference itself, the business unit transported a Fijian double-hull sailing canoe, a drua from the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich, London, to Bonn to be exhibited in the World Conference Center, the heart of the so-called 'Bula Zone' where the COP23 negotiations will take place. NMM is the owner of the drua and has loaned it to the Fijian Presidency for the duration of the COP23. The transport was realized by an aerodynamic DHL Teardrop Trailer. The truck has a curved roof which reduces air resistance, hence cutting fuel consumption by up to ten percent compared to regular heavy-load trucks.