Amazon and IKEA are leading a group of 40 companies thats planning to change how goods move across oceans. Starting next Jan‚ theyʼll ask shipping firms to bid on contracts for vessels running on e-methanol (a clean fuel made from renewable power and CO2)
The Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance wants to push shipping towards clean energy; this is important since ships move more than 80% of world trade and make up 3% of greenhouse gases. Its a big step for companies that need to meet their own climate goals
The project has some real numbers behind it: they want to move whats equal to 1‚4 million containers from Shanghai to LA – which would cut about 470‚000 metric tonnes of emissions. The contracts will run for 3-5 years starting in 2027; thats enough time to make a real difference
Big shipping companies like Maersk‚ Evergreen‚ and Ocean Network Express are already getting ready: theyʼve ordered ships that can use e-methanol‚ and theyʼre working on getting fuel supplies. The alliance knows theyʼll pay more for clean fuel but thinks prices will drop once the market grows
This is how you get on path and track to being net-zero
The alliance CEO Ingrid Irigoyen believes costs will get better as more companies join in; its all about creating enough demand to make e-fuels work in real-world shipping