Hand in Hand with DHL to Sign Agreement, Help "Spark Project" Maiden Voyage, Shein Deepens Sustainable Aviation Fuel Application

SHEIN has made two new advances in the promotion and large-scale application of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): On March 24, SHEIN signed an agreement with global logistics leader DHL to further support the use of sustainable aviation fuel in its air freight through DHL’s GoGreen Plus service; domestically, on March 16, with several flights fueled by SAF successfully departing from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, marking the official launch of China’s first full-process commercial demonstration project for SAF—the “Spark Project”—in which SHEIN and other companies are actively involved.

Partnering with DHL and Global Partners to Promote SAF Application

DHL’s GoGreen Plus service helps corporate clients incorporate sustainable aviation fuel into their logistics networks. The service uses internationally recognized accounting methods to allocate the reduced carbon emissions from SAF compared to traditional fuels to participating companies’ emission reduction accounts. These reductions are recorded within a certification framework, allowing companies to reflect them in their emission reports.

John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express and a long-term partner of SHEIN’s global logistics network, said, “Signing the GoGreen Plus agreement with SHEIN marks another important step in DHL’s efforts to promote green transformation in air logistics. We are pleased to work with SHEIN to explore how to integrate sustainable aviation fuel into their air freight operations.”

Mustan Lalani, SHEIN’s Head of Sustainability, stated, “We are exploring various emerging solutions in the aviation sector to see how they can help address carbon emissions related to air transport.”

The agreement with DHL builds on multiple pilot projects and industry collaborations SHEIN has previously undertaken in global air freight, involving logistics providers, cargo airlines, and industry organizations. These efforts aim to explore practical applications, economic viability, and certification and accounting mechanisms for SAF. For example, in 2025, SHEIN partnered with Lufthansa Cargo to explore pathways for low-carbon transformation in air transport. In the same year, SHEIN collaborated with Atlas Air to pilot the use of 187.3 tons of SAF on 14 charter flights, expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 579.1 tons.

First Batch of Participants in the “Spark Project” to Scale Up Domestic SAF Commercialization

According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the main source of carbon emissions in civil aviation comes from jet fuel consumption. Controlling fuel consumption and actively promoting decarbonization are key priorities for China’s civil aviation industry’s green and low-carbon transformation. SAF, made from renewable resources or waste, can significantly reduce lifecycle carbon emissions and is compatible with existing aircraft and infrastructure.

The “Spark Project,” which had its maiden flight on March 16, is China’s first full-process commercial demonstration of SAF application. Led by the Civil Aviation Second Research Institute and China National Aviation Fuel (CNAF), with participation from SHEIN and airlines like China Cargo Airlines, it establishes a complete commercial cycle from production, transportation, fueling, and use to sustainability certification, environmental rights accounting, and registration and cancellation. Using the SAF Scope 3 environmental rights registration and cancellation platform jointly developed by CNAF and the Civil Aviation Second Research Institute, the project aligns with international sustainability certification systems for general aviation fuels, creating a credible, traceable supply chain. This effectively broadens the multi-party sharing of incremental costs for SAF. It is the first domestic project to certify, verify, and enable cross-industry circulation and value transfer of SAF environmental rights, providing a practical model for large-scale SAF development.

Centered on digital, on-demand, flexible supply chain innovation as a core competitive advantage, SHEIN provides diverse, high-value fashion products to global consumers while helping the apparel industry address high inventory issues and digital transformation from the source. Additionally, from raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, warehousing, logistics, to product circulation, SHEIN continuously promotes green transformation across the entire product lifecycle and industry chain through technological innovation. In green logistics, beyond the recent progress with SAF pilot projects, SHEIN actively explores systemic solutions to reduce transportation-related emissions, including establishing multimodal “air-sea-land” logistics networks. The new energy electric vehicles for warehouse transportation, scheduled for mass deployment in 2025, serve as a reference for the industry’s transition to new energy logistics vehicles.