Maersk and Inditex team up to reduce shipping emissions

Inditex, parent company of fashion brands such as Zara and Massimo Dutti, has partnered with Maersk to reduce its global greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint from seaborne logistics by incorporating alternative fuels.

Through the ECO Delivery Ocean programme, Maersk replaces fossil fuels on its ships with green fuels, like green methanol or second generation biodiesel based on waste feedstocks. This is expected to deliver an estimated reduction of more than 80% in GHG emissions compared to conventional sources. according to Maersk’s calculations.

With ECO Delivery Ocean, Maersk offers its customers 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.

“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,” commented Abel Lopez, Head of Import, Export and Transport at Inditex.

Like Inditex, Maersk has the ambitious climate target to become a net zero company 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.

“We are proud to have Inditex among our first customers who assign 100% of their Maersk ocean inbound cargo to our ECO Delivery product, which ensures a significant reduction of GHG emissions thanks to green fuels. We have known Inditex for a long as a very responsibly and sustainably thinking partner and customer and going all the way on their ocean cargo is good news for the environment and climate,” said Emilio de la Cruz, Managing Director of Maersk’s Area South West Europe.