Maersk becomes first shipping company to sign up to Amazon’s climate pledge

Amazon’s Climate Pledge initiative has announced nearly 100 new signatories, including the first shipping line in the form of Denmark’s Maersk.

In 2019, the giant US online marketplace founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Now, 312 organisations have signed on.

“The effects of climate change are becoming more and more apparent in our surroundings and daily lives, and we firmly believe that the private sector must continue to innovate and collaborate across regions and industries in order to decarbonise the global economy at scale,” said Andy Jassy, Amazon CEO.

In addition to reducing all direct and indirect emissions across its entire business by 2040, Maersk has also committed to expanding its green customer offerings, including a commitment to achieve 25% of ocean cargo transported with green fuels, 90% green operations for contract logistics and cold chain, and at least 30% of air cargo transported with sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.

“Solving the climate emergency and decarbonising our customers’ supply chains is a strategic imperative for Maersk,” said Soren Skou, A.P. Moller – Maersk CEO. “Hence, back in January 2021 we accelerated our decarbonisation commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040—a decade ahead of our initial 2050 ambitions and the Paris Agreement. To drive the massive scale up of green fuels, we all must move now and take action. If we are meant to see changes this decade, we cannot afford to wait, and in that context, we look forward to joining The Climate Pledge, an opportunity to team up with some of our major customers, learn from them, and share best practices and solutions.”