As the COP26 climate summit holds discussions Nov. 10 specifically focused on transport, sustainable cargo initiative GoodShipping has announced a new partnership with 18 companies that will substantially reduce emissions from shipping. Today, these cargo owners and other partners have completed the first in a series of bunkerings of sustainable marine biofuel in this COP26-dedicated decarbonization campaign that will cut around 4,000 metric tons of emitted CO2.

The Ship to Zero initiative brings together organizations spanning a range of nations and industries, including food production, consumer goods, chemicals, textiles, machinery, and logistics, and all of which are united in their commitment to make an immediate and tangible climate impact. The initial partners of the initiative are Bugaboo, Cocoasource, DHL Global Forwarding, Dille & Kamille, Dopper, Geelen Counterflow, Lenzing, Loods5, Lush, Matsen Chemie, Nine & Co, Regent Ingredients, Samskip, Sipsmith, Tony’s Chocolonely, YOGI Tea, Yumeko, and Zaytoun. The aim of the campaign is to demonstrate that making real climate impact is already possible today, and to provide an example to all the policy decisionmakers in Glasgow.

Each partner has committed to a specific reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the transport of their products or services. Translating these pledges into tangible, traceable, and demonstrable climate impact, GoodShipping has completed the first biobunkering of the container ship Samskip Innovator, during which fossil fuels were replaced by 100 percent sustainable biofuels. The partnership will see biofuels used for a total of four or five trips from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to Hull, U.K., and around 4,000 tons of CO2 will be reduced as a result.

The refueling has been achieved in partnership with GoodFuels, whose advanced biofuels deliver an 80 to 90 percent well-to-exhaust CO2 reduction and are produced from certified renewable feedstocks. These include used cooking oil and waste animal fats, which are labeled as 100 percent waste or residues that cannot be used for any higher quality application or recycling. These feedstocks are approved by an independent sustainability board, to make sure all biofuels used meet the highest sustainability requirements.

Because GoodShipping is based on the mass balance principle—the concept that all carbon is emitted into the same atmosphere—the vessel being refueled will not necessarily carry the cargo that the partner companies have decided to transport carbon neutrally. The CO2 reductions can be enabled on another oceangoing vessel, with GoodShipping’s strict accountability criteria ensuring that the partners’ decarbonization commitments are delivered.

“The Ship to Zero initiative demonstrates that concrete climate action is possible now, and that a tangible impact can be achieved by taking small steps together and breaking down barriers to collaboration across industries,” said Tina Trinks, commercial manager at GoodShipping. “Given the urgency of the climate crisis, there is no time to waste, and cargo owners have a unique opportunity to move from intentions to action. We applaud the leadership of the partners who are working together to contribute to a better world for us all. Luckily, solutions are already available today, and our carbon insetting solution is a positive, easy and affordable way for proactive cargo owners to reduce emissions from their supply chains. We invite more companies to take the next step towards carbon-neutral transportation now and join us in this unique partnership.”

Kathrin Brost, global head of DHL Global Forwarding’s GoGreen program, said, “We’re proud to join GoodShipping’s Ship to Zero voyage to make a positive climate impact today. This is a great, innovative way of showing that by joining forces we can make a difference and speed up the decarbonization of marine shipping.”