Clean Cargo Working Group issues encouraging report on ocean shipping

San Francisco-based BSR has announced that its Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) has released its Global Maritime Trade Lane Emissions Factors report. This contains data provided by more than 3,200 ships from 22 of the world’s leading ocean container carriers representing 87 percent of the global ocean container shipping industry by volume.

Compiled over the past year, it reflects the disruption caused by Hanjin’s collapse and the flurry of ocean carrier consolidations that took place as a consequence.

The data show that the industry improved performance of greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 percent from 2015 to 2016, a lower rate of improvement than in previous years. This highlights that performance continues to improve but demonstrates the critical importance of collaboration and collective action to enable shipping to contribute to global emissions reductions targets. This was also the first year that 100 percent of carriers included in the emissions factors were verified using the CCWG procedure and guidance for verifying CO2 and SOx data.

The Clean Cargo Working Group has also reached a major milestone of 50 corporate members. The group now includes 22 container carriers and 28 of this industry’s largest customers—both global brands and freight forwarders. APL Logistics, CEVA Logistics, EFL, Expeditors International, LF Logistics, Panalpina Management Ltd., Philips Lighting, and SAT Albatros all joined in 2017.

“Partnerships along the value chain are key to truly conducting business sustainably. In joining CCWG, we join a group of peers dedicated to accelerating sustainability in the container shipping industry,” said Nicola Kimm, Head of Sustainability, Environment, Health & Safety at Philips Lighting, one of the new shippers to join in 2017. “Furthermore, we gain access to reliable and accurate data on individual carrier performance, enabling us to make better informed procurement decisions and drive down carbon emissions of our logistics.”

The group continues to foster environmental performance innovations for the sector, such as a pilot by members Electrolux and Hamburg Sud to reduce pollution in ports. CCWG has also kicked off a materiality assessment to prioritize the most critical social, ethical, and environmental impacts industrywide that will help CCWG to set a vision for 2030 and a three-year agenda.

“CCWG provides so much more than relevant, credible data; they are also the forum to work collaboratively with our supply chain and other buyers to make progress toward the Electrolux ‘For the Better’ sustainability framework,” said Tomas Dahlman, Director, Global Energy Strategies for Electrolux. “The group works on several innovative initiatives that enable us and the shipping industry to work more sustainably.”