A new initiative has been established to reduce carbon emissions in the maritime shipping sector. The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) was started on March 9 by The Aspen Institute, Amazon, Patagonia, and Tchibo to speed up shipping decarbonisation.
Getting rid of carbon emissions is hard in the maritime transportation sector, which is responsible for about 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. ZEMBA’s goal is to create committed demand for new marine fuels and technologies that are needed for the new market for clean shipping, allowing economies of scale and reducing maritime emissions.
Through this non-profit group, freight buyers will be able to speed up the commercial rollout of zero-emission shipping and help reduce maritime emissions.
Members of ZEMBA will pledge to purchase zero-emission marine fuels and renewable energy, which will give investors, carriers, ship owners, and marine fuel producers more confidence.
ZEMBA plans to send out a request for proposals in 2023 to find maritime shipping services that have almost zero emissions throughout their entire lifecycle. This includes all greenhouse gases, not just carbon dioxide. These services are expected to start in 2025 or 2026. ZEMBA plans to hold more tenders like this one with more bidders until zero-emission shipping is the norm in the shipping industry.
Werner Weber, the CEO of Tchibo GmbH, said that everyone in the maritime value chain, including cargo owners like Tchibo, need to take the lead in decarbonising the maritime sector. Supporting ZEMBA allows them to address the emissions from their logistics, which represent approximately 13% of their overall footprint.
Ingrid Irigoyen, President and CEO of ZEMBA and Director of the Aspen Shipping Decarbonisation Initiative at the Aspen Institute, said that ZEMBA’s co-founders know they have a chance to make sure that the clean energy transition in shipping works for businesses that depend on reliable, affordable, and environmentally friendly maritime transport in the future.
