In 2024, the demand for ECO Delivery Ocean has grown, with 30% more customers opting for lower GHG emissions shipping solutions compared to the previous year. Retail, lifestyle, chemical and FMCG companies are the pioneers.
Shippers are increasingly taking action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from logistics, and the latest numbers from Maersk ECO Delivery Ocean are proof of this trend. After 480,000 standard containers (TEU) in 2022, Maersk allocated the energy from lower GHG emissions fuels* to the transport of more than 660,000 TEU in 2023. 212 customers opted for ECO Delivery Ocean for their seaborne cargo in 2023 and saved over 600,000 tonnes of GHG emissions from being emitted into the atmosphere, when compared to conventional fossil fuel over the full life cycle (WtW).
We are committed to reducing the impact we have on the environment across our entire operation, including our supply chain. Through our partnership with Maersk, we have started to introduce fuel alternatives, such as biofuel, when shipping our products. By using Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean product, we are reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our ocean shipping. This is a really important step for us at Primark as it supports our ambition to halve our carbon emissions across our value chain by 2030.
Today in 2025, around 3% of Maersk’s ocean volume is shipped on reduced GHG emissions fuels as part of our ECO Delivery Ocean product. Maersk ECO Delivery Ocean is an independently certified** product that gives you the choice to allocate energy from reduced GHG emission fuels to your ocean transport. This enables you to save more than 80% GHG emissions on a well-to-wake basis compared to fossil reference fuels.
*Maersk 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
**Independent audit conducted on processes, methodology and total numbers in accordance with ISAE 3000 and ISAE 3410.
In the beginning, we have had many customers giving ECO Delivery Ocean a first try for some of their cargo volumes. After they realized how well it is working, more and more customers either increased the cargo volume or committed themselves even to ship 100% of their seaborne cargo under Maersk care using the energy allocation method with ECO Delivery Ocean. This has put big smiles on the faces of me and my team members.
Peter’s team developed the product together with other Maersk experts back in 2017/18 and introduced it in 2019. “The increasing number of 100% commitments is an amazing trend and commitment of our customers.” Trendsetters for these 100% commitments in 2024 have been global brands such as Nestlé and Novo Nordisk, Action from the Netherlands, as well as the Danish companies Grundfos and Søstrene Grene (100% of their Maersk ocean logistics on ECO Delivery), while Volvo Cars and Inditex are moving 100% of their Maersk inbound ocean logistics on ECO Delivery. Another strategic customer of ECO Delivery Ocean is the US online retailer Amazon, who has reduced the GHG emissions of several of their Maersk ocean shipments for multiple years in a row.
A number of new customers have also signed up for ECO Delivery Ocean in 2024. Among them are large brands like Primark and Danone, who have started to reduce GHG emissions on certain shipments. Other companies, such as the Danish retailer Flying Tiger, the Swedish retailer ICA and the Japanese multinational electronics company Seiko Epson, have also chosen ECO Delivery for some of their logistics.
Our partnership with Maersk enables us to cut costs and reduce our climate impact, all while embedding the kind of agility that will help us to navigate whatever the world throws at us in the future.
With the deployment and naming of the world’s first methanol enabled container vessel in September 2023, Maersk introduced reduced GHG emissions methanol as an alternative fuel option in container shipping. Up to now, the reduction of GHG emissions for this methanol lies below those of the biodiesel we use in our vessels, but with the start of the scalable production of e-methanol, the GHG emissions reductions will increase. The GHG emissions reductions of both fuel types take GHG emissions from procuring, producing, as well as transporting the feedstock and the fuels into account – a so-called life cycle analysis (LCA).
Less GHG in our atmosphere in the past year is truly inspiring. Many of our customers have ambitious climate targets and we are grateful that so many have decided to partner with us to enable these decarbonisation efforts.
Kaisa Helena Tikk is heading Maersk’s Commercial Sustainability team. Her team members are experts and can act as advisors for Maersk’s customers who want to reduce GHG emissions in their supply chains. “We see that more and more shippers engage with supply chain partners who can today help with their climate ambitions. It makes us proud that we can help our customers reduce their GHG emissions,” Kaisa shares. “A big driver is also the increased need for credible data to support regulatory or voluntary reporting requirements for GHG emissions reductions.”
Almost 60% of Maersk’s top 200 customers have the ambition to set science-based targets for their journey. Maersk’s Emission Dashboard is a solution for shippers to get an overview of the GHG emissions across all carriers and transport modes. The consolidated data facilitates indicative measures informing customer decisions to reduce GHG emissions as a next step. “Nowadays, a logistics partner needs to be able to provide cargo owners with relevant GHG emissions data”, knows Kaisa.
In 2023, we continued expanding our global bio-diesel supply infrastructure to key bunkering hubs in Europe and Asia. We will continue to rely on biodiesel as a base in our green fuel portfolio while building up the supply of other green fuels such as green methanol, Maersk is investing in new methanol enabled vessels of which the first eight very large ships (16,000 TEU each) are entering Maersk’s fleet in 2024, with the first vessel, “Ane Maersk” already deployed. The green fuels for low and very low emission ocean transports used by us are all certified to ensure fully traceable, responsible feedstock and sourcing. We are working together with our customers to drive the green transition in shipping in a partnership. The customers benefit as their transports with ECO Delivery Ocean are exempted from EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) charges by Maersk.
While ECO Delivery Ocean continues to reduce seaborne GHG emissions, the teams of Peter, Kaisa and Emma as well as several other Maersk colleagues are working on the next steps beyond ocean decarbonisation products. Listening to the customers’ demand, Maersk launched a product for inland transportation in 2023, which now covers battery electric vehicle (BEV) transport in the US, Germany, Spain, Thailand and China, among other countries. The product uses a mix of company-owned BEVs and third-party truckers, and additional locations are currently being considered. Maersk also has reduced GHG emissions dry storage warehouses in several countries across the globe. Finally, Maersk has started piloting an ECO Delivery Air product for airfreight with some automotive and lifestyle/fashion customers.
In 2025, we will continue broadening our reduced emissions offerings for inland transportation across geographies and transport modes, building more vendor partnerships. This includes expanding to electric rail solutions and increasing our heavy electric truck capacity. We have received a lot of good feedback on inland solutions, and we are open for any customer who is interested to reduce GHG emissions on truck, rail and barge. Our experience is that our vendors for these hinterland solutions are also keen on developing and piloting decarbonisation initiatives.
Maersk is dependent on its suppliers’ willingness to invest in decarbonisation-focused solutions, as well as on electricity providers and renewable electricity infrastructure. Just like in ocean transport, strong partnerships are key to driving decarbonisation efforts. "We have an ambitious goal to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2040 and are taking steps year-on-year. This is achieved thanks to an amazing effort together with our partners and vendors”, says Johan Sigsgaard. “We are happy to continue to serve our customers’ demand for reduced GHG emissions transport and are confident that together, we can achieve our goals”. While we are proud of the many strong decarbonisation partnerships we’ve built with our customers and suppliers, we believe regulatory action is required to drive the progress needed in logistics. Mid-term measures will be discussed in 2025 and are expected to help bridge the price gap between fossil fuels and lower emission alternatives in ocean shipping. Following these discussions, a decision on a global carbon pricing mechanism is expected within the same year and will play a key role in the uptake of emission reduced ocean shipping products in the future.
Maersk’s reduced GHG emissions fuels and its supply chain are verified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). The methodology for accounting emissions is based on GLEC (Global Logistics Emission Council). We ensure performance tracking of Maersk ECO Delivery shipments. Maersk ECO Delivery CO2e saving certificates will be issued. The method is assured by PwC in accordance with the International Standard of Assurance Engagements 3410 (ISAE 3410 – Assurance Engagements on Greenhouse Gas Statements), showing CO₂e savings for the scope of the Maersk ECO Delivery agreement.
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