Global fashion giant Inditex, parent company of fashion brands such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, has joined forces with Danish Maersk in an effort to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint in global seaborne logistics, by incorporating alternative fuels in all its inbound routes with the carrier.
The partnership aims to reduce its maritime transport emissions through Maersk’s ECO Delivery Ocean program, in which Maersk replaces fossil fuels on its ships with green fuels like green methanol, or second generation biodiesel based on waste feedstocks.
This transition is expected to yield a reduction of over 80% in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional sources.
With ECO Delivery Ocean, Maersk said it offers the opportunity to handle transports completely with certified green fuels for a fixed cost.
The corresponding greenhouse gas savings are confirmed to the customers with an externally verified certificate and these transports will be exempted from EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) charges by Maersk in the future.
As informed, Maersk green fuels and its supply chain are verified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), whilst the Danish shipping line provides an ECO Delivery CO2 saving certificate in which it is stated how many tonnes of CO2 emissions a company has saved in a year, the amount of green fuel used, FFEs shipped and detailed information on CO2 saving well-to-wheel and tank-to-wheel.
Abel Lopez, head of import, export and transport at Inditex said “This collaboration is a great example of how boosting innovative solutions with dedicated partners is key to fight climate change. Through this joint initiative with Maersk, we are making significant strides in reducing emissions associated with our sea freight.”
“This project aligns with our goal to reach net zero emissions in 2040 and contributes to scale alternative fuels with a significant reduced carbon footprint.”
Through this collaboration, Inditex becomes one of the first companies to assign 100% of its ocean inbound cargo to Maersk’s ECO Delivery product, according to Emilio de la Cruz, managing director of Maersk’s area south west Europe.
Both Inditex and Maersk are committed to becoming net zero companies across all business areas until 2040.
Besides using ECO Delivery for all its ocean cargo under Maersk care, Inditex is also boosting multimodal transport and is collaborating in a new rail solution pilot of Maersk, RENFE and Cepsa in the South of Spain which was launched this summer.
Maersk reports a “high and dynamic” demand for their low GHG emission shipping product as customers seek solutions to reduce their scope 3 emissions.
“A lot of customers are asking us for a solution to reduce their scope 3 emissions, and the first customers are buying this premium solution for their whole cargo under Maersk Bill of Lading now. We are happy to serve this demand with ECO Delivery on an instant basis”, Emilio de la Cruz adds.
