DSV-Google Cloud pilot targets 9.7 million liters of SAF

By Grace Kim

DSV and Google Cloud expect to secure up to 9.7 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel through their air freight pilot, with an estimated reduction of 25,000 tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. The nearly 10 million-liter agreement uses DSV’s SAF program and tests a book-and-claim method for assigning freight emissions reductions.

DSV, a Denmark-based global transport and logistics company, and Google Cloud call the arrangement a pilot that lays the groundwork for a broader sustainability collaboration. The structure links Google Cloud’s air freight emissions with reductions secured through DSV’s program while allowing those reductions to be allocated independently of fuel consumption.

Brian Stewart, senior director of logistics at Google Cloud, said: “This collaboration builds on our ongoing efforts to reduce emissions across Google Cloud’s global logistics operations. Partnering on sustainable aviation fuel provides an auditable, transparent mechanism to address air freight emissions while helping accelerate commercial demand for lower-carbon fuels.”

What does the pilot cover?

The SAF secured through the pilot is to come exclusively from waste and residue feedstocks, with palm and palm-derived materials excluded. DSV said this fuel reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by 85% compared with conventional fossil jet fuel. For the agreement, the companies estimate an expected reduction of 25,000 tonnes of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.

Those figures describe different scopes. The 85% comparison concerns the lifecycle performance of the SAF against conventional fossil jet fuel; it does not represent an expected reduction across Google Cloud’s entire logistics operation. The 25,000-tonne estimate concerns this pilot and remains a forecast tied to the agreement’s expected fuel procurement and emissions allocation.

Under the book-and-claim model, the companies can allocate verified emissions reductions independently of fuel consumption. They say this allows the associated environmental impact to be attributed transparently and supports scalable carbon reduction. The model therefore connects the SAF purchase to an emissions claim without tying each allocated tonne to an identified unit of fuel consumed.

Each tonne of CO₂e reductions is allocated to a specific shipper and protected against double counting, according to the companies. They describe this allocation as a clear and auditable trail for Google Cloud’s emissions reporting. Verification, shipper-level allocation and double-counting protection form the controls behind that claim.

Frank Sobotka, CEO of DSV’s Air & Sea Division, said: “Our customers want practical ways to lower the emissions of the goods they move. By combining Google Cloud’s ambition with our SAF programme, we turn a sustainability goal into measurable results in air freight.”

What does this change for Google Cloud’s air freight emissions?

For Google Cloud’s air freight emissions, the change is the availability of a traceable reduction tied to its logistics activity. The pilot gives the company an auditable mechanism for reporting air freight impacts while separating the emissions allocation from the fuel volumes associated with Google Cloud’s own operations.

The immediate result is bounded: up to 9.7 million liters of SAF under a pilot, with an estimated 25,000-tonne lifecycle reduction attached to Google Cloud’s air freight reporting. The figures do not establish a permanent supply arrangement or a companywide emissions outcome. The companies describe the pilot as preparation for a broader sustainability collaboration, not its completed rollout.

For DSV, the pilot links its SAF program to Google Cloud through an agreement focused on air freight emissions reductions. For Google Cloud, it tests whether an auditable allocation can support emissions reporting for global logistics operations. The two tests share the same mechanism: verified reductions assigned to a specific shipper through a protected allocation chain.

The next milestone is market execution: whether the pilot expands into the broader collaboration the companies described, and whether its allocations remain auditable in Google Cloud’s reporting. Expansion would determine whether the approach scales beyond this agreement. The decisive test is whether DSV and Google Cloud can convert a pilot allocation into a repeatable lower-carbon air freight model.