That challenge sits at the heart of DHL’s renewed multi-year partnership with the FIA WEC, which now also extends to the Asian Le Mans Series. As the championship continues its rapid expansion, DHL is increasingly positioning logistics not simply as an operational necessity but as an opportunity for innovation and sustainability.

Responding to questions from Global Sustainable Sport, Carlos Fernandes, Head of Motorsports Germany at DHL Global Forwarding, explained how the company is seeking to balance operational excellence with meaningful environmental progress. Rather than treating sustainability as a separate initiative, DHL sees it as something that must be embedded into every stage of logistics planning, from route optimisation and transport selection to digital analysis and long-term innovation.

Growth Must Be Matched by Lower Emissions

The FIA WEC has transformed over the past decade. The arrival of the Hypercar category has attracted a record number of global manufacturers including Ferrari, Porsche, Toyota, BMW, Cadillac, Aston Martin, McLaren and Mercedes, creating an increasingly complex logistics operation that spans Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East.

For DHL, the challenge is ensuring that the championship’s growing global footprint does not automatically translate into higher emissions.

Fernandes says this begins with smarter planning rather than simply cleaner vehicles.

“As FIA WEC grows, we focus on optimising transport routes, increasing the use of lower-emission solutions and improving shipment planning. We measure progress through carbon emissions reporting and logistics data analysis, allowing us to track emissions reductions while maintaining the reliability required for a global championship.”

That emphasis reflects a wider shift taking place across sport. While many organisations have focused on measuring operational emissions, leading organisations are increasingly recognising that logistics decisions made months before an event often determine a significant proportion of overall environmental impact.

Building Sustainability Into Operations

One of the most interesting themes emerging from DHL’s responses is that sustainability is no longer viewed as an additional consideration once transport has been arranged. Instead, it is becoming part of the design process itself.

The company is steadily increasing the use of lower-emission transport solutions across those logistics operations it directly manages, including biofuel-powered road transport, sustainable marine freight and multimodal logistics that reduce dependence on air freight wherever possible.

Although DHL does not disclose the overall proportion of the championship’s logistics currently benefiting from these measures, Fernandes makes clear that continual expansion remains the objective.

“Within our scope, we are continuously increasing the use of lower-emission transport solutions, including alternative fuels for road transport, sustainable marine freight options and optimised multimodal logistics.”

The championship itself demonstrates the scale of the challenge. Across a typical season DHL coordinates approximately 120 shipping containers, dedicated intercontinental cargo aircraft, thousands of racing tyres and extensive team infrastructure, all delivered within exceptionally tight competitive deadlines.

Fourteen Years of Learning

Perhaps the strongest insight from the interview comes from DHL’s reflections on what fourteen years in endurance racing have taught the organisation.

Rather than highlighting individual technologies, Fernandes points to organisational thinking.

“Over the past 14 years, one of our biggest lessons has been that sustainability is most effective when it is built into operational planning from the start.”

He continues:

“Through FIA WEC, we’ve shown that route optimisation, multimodal transport solutions and close collaboration with partners can help reduce emissions without compromising reliability. The championship’s complex global logistics requirements have also reinforced the importance of innovation and efficiency, insights that continue to shape DHL’s broader approach to sustainable logistics across industries worldwide.”

That lesson extends well beyond motorsport.

Elite sport often provides an accelerated testing environment where operational complexity, strict deadlines and international supply chains mirror many of the challenges faced by global business. Solutions developed within motorsport frequently find applications in wider commercial logistics, allowing sport to act as a catalyst for broader sustainability innovation.

Recognising Best Practice Across the Paddock

The renewed partnership also continues DHL’s support of the DHL Sustainable Endurance Award, which recognises teams delivering measurable sustainability improvements across environmental management, social responsibility and innovation.

Importantly, the award focuses on initiatives that can be replicated rather than isolated achievements.

Fernandes explains:

“The DHL Sustainable Endurance Award highlights practical initiatives that deliver measurable environmental benefits and can serve as examples for the wider paddock. Entries are assessed based on their impact, innovation and potential for scalability across the championship.”

One example cited is Cadillac Racing, winner of the Hypercar category award at Le Mans in 2025. Among several sustainability initiatives, the team increased the proportion of race equipment transported by sea from 70% to 90%, while also making greater use of rail freight and local sourcing.

Rather than rewarding perfection, the programme encourages practical progress and creates opportunities for teams to learn from one another, helping successful ideas spread throughout the championship.

Testing the Future of Sustainable Logistics

DHL’s ambition extends far beyond supporting a single motorsport series.

Like many global organisations, the company has committed to achieving net-zero emissions logistics by 2050, and Fernandes believes FIA WEC provides an ideal environment in which to trial the technologies and operational approaches needed to achieve that objective.

“FIA WEC provides a valuable platform to test and scale more sustainable logistics solutions in a demanding global environment, where reliability, efficiency and performance are critical.”

Looking ahead, DHL expects several developments to drive the next phase of decarbonisation.

“We see sustainable fuels, electrification, digital optimisation and greater supply chain efficiency playing a key role in reducing emissions and supporting our net-zero ambitions. Partnerships such as FIA WEC help us gain practical experience with these solutions, generating insights that can be applied not only in motorsport logistics but across DHL’s global operations and customer supply chains.”

From Operational Excellence to Sector Leadership

The extension of DHL’s partnership with FIA WEC reflects more than contractual continuity. It demonstrates how sustainability is increasingly becoming embedded within the operational backbone of global sport rather than remaining confined to environmental programmes or offsetting initiatives.

The interview also highlights an important evolution in thinking. Success is no longer defined solely by delivering freight on time, but by continuously improving how that freight moves, measuring its environmental impact and using elite sport as a proving ground for innovations capable of transforming global supply chains.

For motorsport, where logistics has historically been viewed as an unavoidable source of emissions, that represents a significant cultural shift. As championships continue to expand internationally, the organisations that succeed will be those able to combine operational resilience with measurable environmental progress.

If motorsport has long been regarded as a laboratory for engineering innovation, DHL’s work with the FIA World Endurance Championship suggests it may also become one of the world’s most important testing grounds for the future of sustainable logistics.