To mark this year’s International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day, teams from DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa, India, and Pakistan  partnered with shipping operator Hapag-Lloyd Middle East to pull  6,000 kg of trash from coastlines across six countries. Using the tagline, ‘Turning the tide on trash’, the two companies joined forces to help reduce plastic pollution and protect marine life.  Over 800 volunteers from both companies rallied to clean up coastlines in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Dubai, India, and Pakistan. The initiative also formed part of DHL's social impact initiatives that support the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and formed part of the Group’s annual Global Volunteering Day.

Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, said, “True to our purpose of connecting people, improving lives, every effort in protecting our oceans and coastlines is one step closer to a greener future. This coastal clean-up  is made more meaningful because we’ve joined hands with a like-minded partner Hapag-Lloyd. Decarbonizing the world’s oceans is a mission that we have to keep pressing on as we work together with partners, customers, and the industry to achieve net zero carbon by 2050.” 

Amadou Diallo, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Middle East & Africa, said, “Protecting the planet is our responsibility. DHL Global Forwarding is taking ownership through its GoGreen Plus service, which is part of our sustainability roadmap towards net zero logistics emissions by 2050. Cleaning up the oceans will keep marine life intact and preserve our planet for future generations.”

International Coastal Clean-up Day is the largest drive of its kind since launching in 1986. It has since galvanized over 6 million clean-up volunteers in over 100 countries. Each year thousands of tons of garbage make their way to the oceans, with plastics constituting at least 60%. The polluted water harms the marine ecosystem and humans and impacts the livelihoods of those working at sea. Tourism and recreation also suffer, causing significant economic damage to many countries.