BSR’s Clean Cargo Working Group has released its latest paper revealing average carbon emissions by trade lane for the ocean shipping industry. The release of the emissions data—reported by 13 of the world’s leading ocean container carriers, which represent more than 2,000 individual ships or more than 60 percent of ocean container capacity worldwide—provides the shipping industry with high-quality data for use in carbon footprint calculations.

The paper—Clean Cargo’s third annual release—indicates that average carbon-dioxide emissions for global ocean transportation routes declined by nearly 6 percent from 2010 to 2011. While partly driven by changes in carrier representation or global trade conditions, this decline is also likely due to improvements in carrier fleet efficiency and data quality, both having direct benefits for shipping customers.

“Clean Cargo created the industry standard for calculating ocean container carbon-dioxide emissions, and we continuously work to improve the methodology, said Angie Farrag, Clean Cargo Project Manager for BSR’s Transport & Logistics Practice. “The priority now is to scale up shipper use of this data and support efforts to standardize emissions calculations across the entire logistics supply chain. This is critical in moving from measurement and reporting to real performance improvement over time.”

For nearly a decade, Clean Cargo—the industry’s largest collaborative effort to measure and report on environmental impact—has worked with ocean carriers, cargo owners (“shippers”), third-party logistics companies, and other stakeholders to create credible methodologies and tools to gather vessel-by-vessel carrier environmental performance data and, in particular, carbon footprint data.

“Clean Cargo provides us with actual carbon-dioxide emissions from our carriers,” said Gorm Kjaerboll, Ocean Operations Manager at Electrolux and a Clean Cargo steering committee member. “As a shipper, we need good quality data to set and deliver on our own carbon footprint targets. We value our carriers’ efforts and welcome other shippers to join the dialogue and continue improvement of standards and performance.”

Clean Cargo’s annual trade-lane emissions factors can be found at www.bsr.org/en/our-insights/report-view/clean-cargo-working-group-global-trade-lane-emissions-factors. More information on Clean Cargo’s work will be available in two upcoming reports describing the group’s data methodology and shipper use of its data and tools.

Media interested in BSR’s analysis of this data should contact Stéphanie Leblanc at sleblanc@bsr.org. Those interested in joining Clean Cargo should contact Angie Farrag at ccwg@bsr.org.

About Clean Cargo Working Group

Clean Cargo Working Group is a global carrier-shipper initiative dedicated to improving the environmental performance of marine container transport. The group comprises approximately 30 member companies with an equal spread of carriers and shippers, including 16 world-liner fleet operators and more than a dozen global shippers. A full list of members is available at www.bsr.org/cleancargo.

About BSR

BSR works with its global network of nearly 300 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability. BSR acts as the secretariat for Clean Cargo Working Group.

BSR

BSR

Since 1992, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) has been providing socially responsible business solutions to many of the world's leading corporations. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and China, BSR is a nonprofit business association that serves its 250 member companies and other Global 1000 enterprises. Through advisory services, convenings and research, BSR works with corporations and concerned stakeholders of all types to create a more just and sustainable global economy. For more information, visit www.bsr.org.

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