Maersk, 94 other companies swell ranks of Amazon’s Climate Pledge

Amazon announced on Monday that its Climate Pledge has 95 new signatories, including international shipping company A.P. Møller – Maersk.

The pledge, co-founded by Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Global Optimism in 2019, is a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Including the 95 new signatories, The Climate Pledge now has a total of 312.

Maersk is making efforts to operate more sustainably, including its Eco Delivery green offering, which aims to reduce emissions in ocean shipping. In 2021, about 20,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent were avoided by Amazon using Maersk’s Eco Delivery service, according to a release. That’s the emissions equivalent of 50 million average passenger vehicle miles.

Other supply chain companies that signed on to The Climate Pledge include:

• Croatian Post Inc.
• GoFor.
• Hyzon Motors.
• Infinium.
• Lineage Logistics.
• Paack Logistics.
• Pallet LOOP Ltd.
• Premier Packaging LLC.
• Project44.
• Savvy Freight.
• Schumacher Packaging Werk Schwarzenberg.

Nearly 13% of signatories come from the transportation, aviation and logistics sectors, which sends a signal that demand for lower-carbon products and services is growing, Amazon said. 

“It’s an encouraging sign that more than 300 businesses have now signed The Climate Pledge, which commits them to confronting climate change head-on by incorporating real business changes that will make a lasting impact on our planet. We can only do it together,” Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, said in the release.

Companies that sign on to The Climate Pledge must:

• Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions regularly.
• Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions and other carbon emission elimination strategies.
• Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040.

“The effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent in our surroundings and daily lives, and we firmly believe that the private sector must continue to innovate and collaborate across regions and industries in order to decarbonize the global economy at scale,” Jassy said.

Read: Report: Climate change could cost shipping industry $25B annually by 2100

Maersk’s emissions strategies

Maersk said it is committed to playing an “integral role” in decarbonizing the long-distance transport sector.

“Solving the climate emergency and decarbonizing our customers’ supply chains is a strategic imperative for Maersk,” CEO Soren Skou said in the release. “Hence, back in January 2021 we accelerated our decarbonization commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040 — a decade ahead of our initial 2050 ambitions and the Paris Agreement.” 

Some of Maersk’s green targets for 2030 include:

• Using green fuels for 25% of ocean cargo transported.
• Using green operations for 90% of contract logistics and cold chains.
• Using sustainable aviation fuel for at least 30% of air cargo transported.

To achieve these targets, Maersk is investing in and testing several sustainable solutions. Electric trucks, technology and sustainable fuels are some of the company’s focuses. Maersk ordered 12 vessels that can operate on green methanol. They are expected to be operational in 2024. 

Read: Maersk partners with 6 companies to advance production of green methanol

“To drive the massive scale-up of green fuels, we all must move now and take action. If we are meant to see changes this decade, we cannot afford to wait, and in that context, we look forward to joining The Climate Pledge, an opportunity to team up with some of our major customers, learn from them, and share best practices and solutions,” Skou said.

Click here for more FreightWaves articles by Alyssa Sporrer.

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Source: Freightwaves - Maersk, 94 other companies swell ranks of Amazon’s Climate Pledge
Editor: Alyssa Sporrer