LONDON, Oct 19 Reuters - Amazon.com Inc and IKEA are among the commercial operators of container shipping that will opt for zero-carbon fuels by 2040 in a new initiative aimed at speeding up decarbonisation in the maritime sector, executives said on Tuesday.
With about 90% of the world's trade carried on sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO 2 emissions and the sector is under more scrutiny to become cleaner.
The initiative is organised by the Non-profit Aspen Institute and has nine signatories already including others such as Unilever and Michelin to set a goal for companies to only purchase ocean freight services powered by zero-carbon fuels until 2040.
The time to act is now, said Edgar Blanco, director of net-zero carbon at Amazon.
Elisabeth Munck af Rosensch ld, Sustainability Manager, supply chain operations at Inter IKEA Group, said that working with others was crucial for creating ocean shipping fuel solutions.
The voice of the cargo owners is important since we are one of the stakeholders to enable transformation in the industry, she told Reuters.
We are not willing to automatically pay a premium for sustainability, but we are willing to collaborate and share the necessary solutions and share the suitable investments. A surge in demand for retail goods while people have been stuck at home due to lockdowns has led to record high container shipping rates in recent months, compounded by port disruptions, which has also increased costs for cargo users.
Michelle Grose, the head of logistics for Unilever, said logistics accounted for 15% of the Group’s total greenhouse gas emissions GHG footprint and Unilever was encouraging our existing carriers to switch to cleaner fuels By signalling our combined commitment to zero-emission shipping, we are confident that we will accelerate the transition at the pace and scale needed. The United Nations aims to reduce the industry's GHG by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050, with growing calls for a higher target of full decarbonisation in 2050.
A 50% reduction will require the new development of zero or low emission fuels and swift designs for ships.