Maersk has announced new aspiring emissions targets expected to align the company with the Net Zero criteria of the Science Based Targets initiative pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

They include a societal commitment to act now and drive material impact in this decade, and a commitment to deliver net zero supply chains to customers by 2040.

The targets go beyond previous efforts to reduce emissions related to the ocean fleet as they cover all direct and indirect emissions across the entire Maersk business.

Targets include a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet and a 70% reduction in absolute emissions from fully controlled terminals.

Depending on growth in the ocean business, this will lead to absolute emissions reductions between 35% and 50% from a 2020 baseline.

Soren Skou, CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk, said: “As a global provider of end-to-end logistics services across all transport modes, it is a strategic imperative for Maersk to extend our net zero ambition to the total footprint of the business.

“The science is clear, we must act now to deliver significant progress in this decade. These very ambitious targets mark our commitment to society and to the many customers who call for net zero supply chains.”