A.P. Møller – Maersk is one of nine global corporate powerhouses working together to accelerate the transition to a world with net-zero emissions.
The launch of Transform to Net Zero was announced Tuesday by the leaders of the nine companies. In addition to Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line, the founding members are Danone, Mercedes-Benz AG, Microsoft Corp., Natura &Co., Nike Inc., Starbucks, Unilever and Wipro. They are joined by the Environmental Defense Fund and supported by BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), which is serving as the secretariat for the initiative.
“Transform to Net Zero will focus on enabling the business transformation needed to achieve net-zero emissions no later than 2050, in addition to driving broader change with a focus on policy, innovation and finance,” the announcement said. “The outputs of the initiative will be widely available to all, though additional companies may join. The initiative intends to complete the outputs of this work by 2025.”
Maersk CEO Søren Skou said the Danish shipping giant is “committed to a carbon-neutral future of transport and logistics. To contribute to the Paris agreement’s goal, we announced our ambition of having net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 back in 2018. Since then we have taken several concrete actions to decarbonize the industry.
“The overall target of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees [Celsius] can only be reached through strong alliances across sectors and businesses,” Skou said.
In June, Maersk announced that it was committing its entire fleet of company-owned vessels to assist global research on weather patterns and climate change. It said 300 ships would be equipped by the end of this year to provide data through the Voluntary Observing Ship program.
The Transform to Zero members said in Tuesday’s announcement that they will deliver on individual commitments through such efforts as corporate strategy, operations, and research and development.
Led by science and best practice data and methods, the Transform to Net Zero members will be “committed to be the highest return for the climate on investment,” the announcement said.
The companies said they also are committed to open collaboration with existing net-zero initiatives “to leverage existing work and advance business transformation.”
“Net zero requires emissions reductions across the entire value chain, including impact of products and services and supply chain,” the announcement said. “Net zero requires us to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions aligned with the latest science and increase our capacity for GHG removals in the near term to be the path to get companies — and the world — to net zero no later than 2050.”
Microsoft President Brad Smith said collaboration is necessary to get to net zero.
“No one company can address the climate crisis alone,” Smith said. “That’s why leading companies are developing and sharing best practices, research and learning to help everyone move forward.
“Whether a company is just getting started or is well on its path, Transform to Net Zero can help us all turn carbon commitments into real progress toward a net-zero future,” he said.
Maersk leverages fleet for climate change research
Maersk employs new rope design to make mooring safer
DCSA provides education on ‘smart containers’
Click for more FreightWaves/American Shipper articles by Kim Link-Wills.
