Inside Maersk’s 2040 Climate Strategy

Every shipment that crosses the sea carries more than cargo; it carries carbon, complexity, and a call to act.

For more than a century, Maersk has been the backbone of global logistics, connecting producers and consumers across continents. But the company’s story has now evolved from one of scale to one of transformation.

Facing an era where shipping accounts for roughly 3 percent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, Maersk is leading a shift toward cleaner trade, turning ambition into action to reduce the carbon footprint of every voyage.

The company also crossed an important milestone as its climate targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative under the new maritime guidance, an industry first.

 

Integrating Sustainability into the Core

In 2024, Maersk released its first Integrated Annual Report under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD); a signal that sustainability has become inseparable from financial performance.

This report doesn’t treat ESG as a separate exercise; it is built into Maersk’s governance, strategy, and daily operations.

The company’s net-zero target for 2040 is among the most ambitious in global logistics:

• 96% reduction in operational (Scope 1 + 2) emissions
• 90% reduction in value-chain (Scope 3) emissions from a 2022 baseline
• Interim 2030 goals: 34.7% reduction in Scope 1 and 21.9% reduction in Scope 3 emissions

These targets are embedded into leadership scorecards, supplier contracts, and capital-allocation models, ensuring every business decision contributes to the climate mission.

Rabab Raafat Boulos, Maersk’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We feel a strong responsibility to take action in the climate crisis but we know we cannot do it alone.”

 

Driving the Green-Fuel Fleet to Net Zero

Decarbonization at Maersk starts where its emissions are largest i.e the fleet.

In 2024, the company welcomed seven large dual-fuel methanol-capable vessels, including the Ane Mærsk, the world’s first container ship designed to run on green methanol at scale. It also retrofitted an existing vessel, the Maersk Halifax, marking the world’s first methanol conversion of a container ship.

These milestones signal that carbon-neutral shipping has moved beyond experimentation.

💡 Maersk defines “green fuel” as achieving at least 65% life-cycle greenhouse-gas reduction compared with fossil fuels, a standard that underpins all its new methanol contracts.

To secure supply, Maersk signed long-term offtake agreements covering more than half its expected green-fuel demand by 2027  creating a market signal that encourages producers to invest in large-scale methanol capacity. The company is also investing in port infrastructure and fuel-bunkering networks, helping build a global ecosystem for low-carbon energy.

CEO Vincent Clerc emphasized the urgency of action: “We’re on a clock. We cannot wait for perfect solutions before acting. The energy transition in shipping has to begin now.”

Maersk plans to deploy more than 50 dual-fuel vessels between 2026 and 2030 as part of its low-carbon fleet renewal.

Even amid disruptions like the Red Sea crisis, which forced vessels to reroute around Africa, Maersk’s energy-efficiency operational indicator (EEOI) dropped to 11.1 gCO₂e per tonne-nautical-mile which is the lowest in its history, proving that operational discipline and decarbonization can coexist.

 

Building the Green Supply Chain

Maersk knows that climate progress doesn’t stop at the ship’s hull. In 2024, it expanded sustainability efforts across terminals, warehouses, and policy partnerships, turning its logistics ecosystem into a blueprint for low-carbon trade.

• In New Zealand, the Ruakura Superhub opened a cold-chain facility powered by rooftop solar, CO₂-based refrigeration, and rainwater harvesting.
• In Saudi Arabia, the Jeddah Logistics Park now runs on a 64,000 m² solar rooftop that supplies up to 70% of on-site electricity.
• Maersk launched Latin America’s first 100% electric container terminal at Suape, powered entirely by renewable energy and boosting capacity by over 50%.

Together, these hubs represent a quiet revolution: cleaner, more efficient trade infrastructure.

💡 Each green-fuel voyage and renewable-powered terminal is more than a milestone and it’s proof that global trade can grow while shrinking its footprint.

Beyond infrastructure, Maersk collaborates with customers to decarbonize supply chains. Through its ECO Delivery program which is used by more than 200 companies, including Nike, Amazon and Primark; goods are shipped using verified low-carbon fuels, helping partners cut Scope 3 emissions and meet investor and regulatory expectations.

"No one can do this alone," Venkatesh Alagirisamy, chief supply chain officer at Nike, shared where officials called for regulators and governments to act.

On the policy front, Maersk is a leading advocate for the International Maritime Organization’s carbon levy and a Green Balance Mechanism to bridge the price gap between fossil and green fuels. The company also calls for harmonized global standards to avoid fragmented regional rules aligning with initiatives like the EU Fit for 55 package but pushing for worldwide consistency.

This strategy reflects Maersk’s belief that business leadership and policy alignment must move in tandem to achieve system-level decarbonization.

 

Technology and Transparency

Maersk’s transformation isn’t just about new fuels; it’s also about data. In 2024, the company leaned heavily into digitalization to turn sustainability into something quantifiable, verifiable, and actionable.

Through its global Emissions Dashboard, Maersk enables over 4,000 customers to measure, manage, and disclose logistics-related emissions with full transparency. The dashboard integrates data across sea, air, and land freight, offering life-cycle-based carbon accounting verified by third parties. For businesses now reporting under CSRD or SBTi, these insights are indispensable.

Maersk is deploying AI and advanced analytics to optimize vessel routing, anticipate maintenance needs, and minimize idle fuel burn cutting both emissions and operating costs. Across 155 logistics centers, a unified Warehouse Management System now uses digital twins to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste.

And this digital shift goes hand in hand with strong governance. Maersk has embedded AI ethics, data integrity, and cybersecurity into its sustainability assurance processes recognizing that digital trust is the new foundation for environmental credibility. The result: a logistics network that is not only lower-carbon, but also smarter, faster, and more transparent.

 

Staying True to the Course

Governance, for Maersk, is less about structure and more about staying true to purpose  especially when trade winds shift. In a volatile global market where priorities can change overnight, the company’s leadership framework acts as ballast, keeping sustainability anchored in every decision.

At the board level, climate action isn’t treated as a project but as a long-term business principle. Decisions on fleet renewal, fuel sourcing, and infrastructure investments all pass through one central question: Does this move us closer to net zero?

This approach blends financial prudence with environmental responsibility. Risk committees evaluate exposure not only to fuel prices or route disruptions but also to carbon intensity and transition risk an early signal that the company views sustainability as a form of financial resilience.

Internally, Maersk has built a culture of ownership. Managers across ports and operations are empowered to take decisions that favor long-term environmental performance over short-term gain. That culture quiet, disciplined, and often invisible is what makes transformation endure.

 

Resilience Amid Disruption

The year 2024 tested every facet of global supply chains. The Red Sea crisis, drought-induced canal delays, and escalating climate-related weather disruptions reshaped global routes and timelines. Yet Maersk’s response demonstrated the resilience of a company built on adaptability and values.

When vessels were rerouted around Africa, Maersk prioritized crew safety and emissions efficiency simultaneously proving that operational discipline and decarbonization can coexist even under stress. Its Energy Efficiency Operational Indicator (EEOI) dropped to a record low of 11.1 gCO₂e per tonne-nautical-mile despite the longer routes, underscoring progress through precision.

Beyond its ships, Maersk supported humanitarian logistics, coordinating disaster-relief cargo and medical supply shipments to conflict- and disaster-affected areas. It also scaled social initiatives from STEM education programs in Africa and Asia to women-entrepreneurship accelerators reflecting a holistic view of sustainability that includes people and planet.

Resilience, for Maersk, means not just staying afloat in rough seas but steering through them with integrity, learning, and long-term vision.

 

Scaling What Works

With proof of concept established, Maersk’s next chapter is all about scale and speed. The company’s 2030 targets map a pathway from pilots to global transformation:

• 50+ dual-fuel vessels running on green methanol or equivalent sustainable fuels
• 100% renewable electricity across terminals, warehouses, and cold-chain facilities
• Zero-emission logistics options available across ocean, air, and land networks
• 40% women in management, supported by leadership training and inclusion programs

Achieving this vision will require synchronized progress across technology, policy, and partnerships. Maersk continues to push for global carbon pricing and unified regulatory frameworks to accelerate investment in green fuel infrastructure.

But beyond compliance and capital, Maersk’s true differentiator is collaboration. By linking its customers, ports, and suppliers into a shared decarbonization ecosystem, it is becoming a usecase of what collective progress looks like in the maritime sector.

“Our role is to prove that transformation at scale is possible,” said CEO Vincent Clerc. “Once the path is clear, others will follow.”

 

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