CMA CGM, Maersk, others join initiative for net-zero end-to-end logistics

March 30, 2022, by Ajsa Habibic

A consortium comprising more than 25 global companies and organisations is developing new guidance to quantify the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) logistics emissions in an effort to increase the transparency of carbon emissions and work towards a net-zero logistics sector.

To specify, Smart Freight Centre, a non-profit organisation dedicated to carbon-free logistics, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have started an initiative to advance the quantification of logistics emissions by developing ‘actionable and implementable’ guidance in partnership with numerous global companies, including shipping giants CMA CGM and Maersk.

As described, the guidance builds upon and complements two existing frameworks. The first is the Smart Freight Centre’s Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) Framework 2.0, a methodology for accounting and reporting logistics emissions. The second is the WBCSD’s Pathfinder Framework, the guidance for accounting and exchange of product life cycle emissions.

“The objective is to enable companies to better understand and track their carbon emissions on a granular operational level, enhance industry collaboration and support businesses in the implementation of their decarbonisation strategies and achievement of net-zero targets”, the consortium explains.

The guidance encompasses the entire supply chain – from supplier to customer, providing end-to-end quantification of GHG emissions and supporting each organisation’s decarbonisation strategy.

The guidance will be published by the end of 2022, with an intended formal launch during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, in January 2023.

The organisations that took part in this initiative are A.P. Moller – Maersk, ADEME, Aldi Süd, Amazon, APL Logistics, ArcelorMittal, CMA CGM, Colgate-Palmolive, Convoy, DOW Chemical, DPDgroup, Deutsche Post DHL Group, EcoTransIT World, European Shippers Council, Kuehne+Nagel, Nestlé, PSA International, Posti, project44, Scania, Selfridges, Siemens, TK Blue Agency, Uber, Unilever, UPS, Volkswagen.

“As a global provider of end-to-end logistics services across all transport modes, it is a strategic imperative for Maersk to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. To ensure significant emissions reductions already in this decade, we have set clear and ambitious 2030 targets across our logistics operations. (…) Once fully developed, this guidance will be an accurate method to first, allocate emissions to our customers and secondly, guide us on what we should ask our vendors to report on”, said Morten Bo Christiansen, head of Decarbonisation at A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Claire Martin, CMA CGM’s vice president of Sustainability, commented on the initiative: ” (…) CMA CGM will be using the GLEC Framework for its future Searoutes eco calculator. This new guidance will enable CMA CGM to beneficiate a more efficient tool to better understand and track its carbon emission. This will be an important step forward for the Group and for its customers as part of its commitment to become Net Zero Carbon by 2050.”