Syngenta to reduce carbon impact of ocean shipping with Maersk’s Eco Delivery

Photo: Syngenta

Syngenta Crop Protection, a leader in agricultural innovation, plans to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from its logistics operations by using Maersk’s Eco Delivery solution for its ocean shipments.

This follows the finalization of an agreement for the transport of containers using biofuel for a Europe-U.S. shipping route in 2024.

Maersk’s Eco Delivery solution offers Syngenta the ability to handle its global ocean shipments with certified biofuels that burn cleaner than conventional fossil fuels, resulting in less GHG emissions.

All the biofuel used is certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System.

“Our partnership with Maersk is based on a common commitment towards sustainable logistics,” said Mike Hollands, the head of global supply at Syngenta Crop Protection.

“We’ve been energized by our collaboration in Eco Delivery and other carbon-emission reduction solutions and are pleased to move closer together towards eventual zero-carbon shipping for a more sustainable future,” he added.

Maersk and Syngenta have also collaborated on creation of an emissions dashboard, a digital innovation for GHG-emissions reporting and data analytics.

Globally, shipping accounts for around 3 percent of global GHG emissions and contribute to assessments of a company’s carbon emissions commonly known as scope 3 emissions.

These measure the level of GHG emissions for which an organization is indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain.

“If we are to significantly reduce emissions, we need to look for opportunities across our supply chains and beyond,” Hollands noted.

“Working with strong external partners equally committed to sustainability, such as Maersk, enables us to accelerate the decarbonization of our operations,” he said.

Maersk is Syngenta’s largest fourth-party logistics provider, managing the resources, technology and infrastructure of other third-party logistics providers that enable Syngenta to offer the highest levels of service to customers and growers worldwide.

“We are delighted that Syngenta has selected our Eco Delivery Ocean solution as well as our emissions dashboard to reduce their GHG emissions in a structured way,” said Kaisa Helena Tikk, the head of commercial sustainability at Maersk.

“We are looking forward to develop our valued partnership even further in the future,” Tikk added.

“These close collaborations with our customers are essential to drive the decarbonization of logistics, which we can achieve only together,” Tikk said.

Syngenta has already made significant headway in the reduction of carbon emissions for its own operations and from the electricity and energy it consumes—known as scope 1 and scope 2 emissions.

In February, the U.S. EPA recognized Syngenta’s manufacturing facility in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, as one of the top 100 users of green power in the country.