(Credit: Maersk)Integrated logistics company Maersk has finalized an agreement with Amazon for 2023-2024 for the transport of 20,000 FFE containers using green biofuel.
The deal, which is part of Maersk’s ECO Delivery ocean product offering, is the fourth consecutive year the two companies have arranged container shipping using low greenhouse gas fuel options. The ECO Delivery offering provides customers with emissions reductions with verified greenhouse gas savings.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Maersk, a Climate Pledge signatory and leader in shipping logistics, on actionable solutions to decarbonize maritime shipping,” Adam Baker, vice president of global transportation at Amazon, said in a statement. “We’re excited to have containers on Maersk’s first methanol-enabled feeder vessel and to continue using their biofuel.”
The ECO Delivery is also using green ethanol this year in addition to biodiesel as a second green in the fleet. ECO Delivery uses primary data for fuel consumption in its methodology to report emissions savings, which include carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. According to Maersk, its new model also provides price precision.
Maersk is a signatory of the Climate Pledge, which has been signed by 400 companies in 38 countries and asks participants to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. As part of the pledge, signatories are asked to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis, implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement, and neutralize emissions with credible offsets.
“Amazon’s record of securing sustainable shipping over the years, no matter the business climate, is testament to its contributions to building a better future,” Narin Phol, president North America, A.P. Moller at Maersk, said in a statement. “We share a common goal with Amazon to reduce our total GHG emissions to net zero by 2040. As co-signers of the Climate Pledge, we must constantly create new opportunities to make this a decade of action. Decarbonizing shipping is one significant step that is to be combined with many others to protect our future.”
The new agreement between Amazon and Maersk comes a few years after Maersk announced its decision to become carbon neutral by 2040. Last year, the company ordered 13 new ocean-going ships using only carbon-neutral fuels, scheduled to arrive between 2023 to 2025. The new carbon-friendly vessels will help Maersk reduce its carbon emission levels by 1 million tons, or 3%, the company said.
Amazon has invested in reducing its carbon footprint over the past several years, including becoming the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy. After facing scrutiny for its plastic and packaging waste since the onset of the pandemic, which fueled a fury of online shopping demands, Amazon announced in its 2022 report that it replaced 99% of its mixed-material mailers, which contain plastic and paper, with recyclable paper alternatives in the United States and Canada.
