A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has announced it now aims to become net-zero by 2040.
These new targets align the company with the Net Zero criteria of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) pathway to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. They include a societal commitment to act now and drive material impact in this decade.
Tangible near-term targets for 2030 have also been set to ensure significant progress on curbing emissions. These include a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet and a 70% reduction in absolute emissions from fully controlled terminals.
Maersk believes this will lead to absolute emissions being reduced by around 35% and 50% from a 2020 baseline.
“As a global provider of end-to-end logistics services across all transport modes, it is a strategic imperative for Maersk to extend our net-zero ambition to the total footprint of the business,” said Soren Skou, CEO of Maersk.
“The science is clear; we must act now to deliver significant progress in this decade. These very ambitious targets mark our commitment to society and to the many customers who call for net-zero supply chains.”
Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, CEO of Fleet and Strategic Brand at Maersk, added “Our updated targets and accelerated timelines reflect a very challenging, yet viable pathway to net-zero which is driven by advances in technology and solutions. What is needed is a rapid scale-up which we will strive to achieve in close collaboration with customers and suppliers across the entire supply chain.”
As recommended by SBTi, the company is set to invest in building a portfolio of natural climate solutions that will result in around five million tons of CO2 savings per year by 2030.
To maximise progress towards its final goal, 2030 targets for a range of green product offerings have been introduced, adding solutions such as Maersk’s Emissions Dashboard and Maersk ECO Delivery. These products will utilise green technologies to ensure that they provide real emission reductions within the supply chain.
As these targets also cover indirect emissions, it means they will also address emissions from inland transport services and vessel building which are provided by third party suppliers. Tackling this will require extensive data insights and close collaboration with local and regional suppliers of products and services across the Maersk business portfolio.
Maersk has also recently unveiled the design of its new 16,000 TEU vessel powered by carbon-neutral methanol.
Announced in December 2021, the vessels are set to be 250 metres long, 53.5 metres wide and will look significantly different from the line’s previous large container vessels.
