Maersk and Danone collaborate to slash logistics emissions with sustainable shipping fuels

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller Maersk has partnered with Danone, a French multinational food-products corporation, to reduce logistics greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using Maersk’s decarbonization service.

As disclosed, Danone will integrate Maersk ECO Delivery Ocean, a product based on reduced GHG emission fuels like bio-diesel or bio-methanol, into its supply chain. These fuels are then used on vessels across the Maersk’s fleet.

With the applied version of ECO Delivery Ocean by Danone, GHG emissions are expected to be reduced by more than 40% compared to conventional fossil fuels, according to Maersk.

“We are happy to partner with Maersk through Danone’s Partner for Growth program. The ECO Delivery Ocean product and its reduced greenhouse gas emissions align well with our decarbonization strategy to focus primarily on alternative fuels and multimodal transportation. Maersk is an important partner and using their product to reduce CO2 emissions on sea freight marks yet another step in our decarbonization journey,” Jean-Yves Krummenacher, Global Chief Procurement Officer at Danone, said.

“The swift reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is at the core of both our companies. Well-known companies like Danone can act as a beacon in their industries by using effective levers to decarbonize their supply chains. We are proud to be Danone’s trusted partner in this important task,” Emilio de la Cruz, Maersk Area Managing Director South West Europe, added.

The partnership between Danone and Maersk will comprise more than ocean transport, but also comprehensive inland transport solutions and dedicated control towers.

Danone is committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and has aligned its pathway to net-zero with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) already back in 2017.

Maersk ECO Delivery Ocean is a decarbonization product that aims to reduce the impact of global trade on the climate. According to the shipowner, the service uses lower greenhouse gas emissions fuels to “significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% on a well-to-wake basis compared to fossil reference fuels”. The firm defines reduced/lower GHG emissions fuels as “fuels with at least 65% reductions in GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis compared to fossil of 94 g CO2e/MJ”.

Maersk has set a net-zero target of 2040 and is the first shipping and logistics company that has a pathway to net-zero approved by the SBTi. To ensure its targets are met, the company has previously revealed the orders for 25 owned dual-fuel methanol vessels; 5 in service and 20 on order. Moreover, last year, the firm transported more than 660,000 TEUs by using green fuels, saving “over 683,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere”.

Meanwhile, in August this year, the Danish shipping heavyweight unveiled that it was in the process of signing newbuilding orders and time-charter contracts for dual-fuel vessels to match the planned renewal pace of around 160,000 TEUs per year. The orders will comprise a total of 50–60 containerships combining both owned and chartered dual-fuel vessels equaling 800,000 TEUs.