Shipping

The shipping sector is responsible for transporting the goods we use daily, all over the world. From raw materials to finished products – including clothing, furniture, automobiles, appliances and so much more – every single day ports around the world see large vessels arrive and depart laden with containers of our everyday essentials, luxury items and much more. Global supply chains are completely reliant on the bulk container ships that ply the world’s oceans.

SHIPPING FAST FACTS

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WHAT NEXT FOR SHIPPING?

The shipping industry has ambitious targets to reduce its climate impact. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) aims to reduce GHG emissions from the sector by 50% via the use of new technology, expanding on existing efficiencies and employing alternative fuels.

A number of stakeholders are more ambitious than the IMO:

  • EU GREEN DEAL
  • SWEDEN
  • UNITED KINGDOM
  • MAERSK
  • IKEA

  • EU GREEN DEAL

    The EU European Green Deal plans to include shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).

  • SWEDEN

    Sweden has pledged to achieve carbon neutral shipping by 2045.

  • UNITED KINGDOM

    The UK’s Clean Maritime Plan proposes that all new vessels ordered from 2025 should be designed with zero-emission capable technologies.

  • MAERSK

    Maersk has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

  • IKEA

    IKEA Transport & Logistics Services plans to reduce GHG emissions by 70% per transport shipment by 2030.

Practical Solutions For The Shipping Sector

The RSB’s pioneering approach drives continuous improvement and adaptation to new market challenges and opportunities. With credible solutions, innovative and advanced approaches to the latest sustainability challenges and a proven track record in supporting the shipping sector, we can deliver clear benefits and value to partners across the supply chain.

RSB CERTIFICATION

Fuel Certification with RSB ensures environmental and social benefits, a verified and robust GHG emission reduction, and traceability from the feedstock source to the final customer. Certification against RSB EU RED includes compliance with the requirements of the European Renewable Energy Directive.

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ADVANCED FUELS

RSB’s approach to waste and residues in its Standard for Advanced Fuels ensures robust traceability for waste, residues and end-of-life materials, as well as real sustainability in processing units with a particular focus on the specific risks in play at these facilities – such as management of water and effluents.

The Standard for Advanced Fuels ensures that producers of non-traditional alternative fuels – such as those produced from fossil fuel waste – are able to achieve RSB’s rigorous sustainability certification.

This approach can support the shipping industry to overcome many of the challenges associated with 1st generation biofuels – such as ILUC and GHG emissions, biodiversity and food security – and supports innovative solutions for the next generations of sustainable alternative aviation fuels.

GHG CALCULATOR

RSB’s Greenhouse Gas calculator is a market-leading tool based on fewer default values and more real activity testing to deliver extremely reliable outcomes when compared with other calculators.

LOW ILUC

RSB’s progressive ILUC module is the first to address the challenges associated with indirect land use change in biomass production and is available ahead of new regulations coming into force in the EU and beyond.

FOOD SECURITY

With our focus on food security in our Principles and Criteria and the practical development of tools like our low ILUC module, as well as a stringent requirement for stakeholder consultation to ensure that issues that might impact local food production, such as water access, are identified, RSB’s approach to food security is extremely robust.

Testimonial

Maersk is committed to supporting the use of RSB-certified biofuels and advanced fuels and we look forward to building on the success of this pilot project to develop a fully RSB-certified supply chain for the fuels we offer our customers.

John Kornerup Bang, Head of Sustainability Strategy & Climate Change, Maersk

RSB Advisory Services

RSB offers a range of tailored advisory services to unlock our expertise and promote sustainability in the shipping sector.

FUEL SOURCING

Support to formulate fuel sourcing policies that consider sustainability risks and unintended consequences.

RISK ASSESSMENT

Develop sustainability risk assessments for different fuel pathways – covering feedstock production, GHG assessment, fuel processing.

RESOURCE AVAILABILITY

Sustainable feedstock resource assessments uncover the potential feedstock production capacity at regional, national and international level based on sustainability criteria and regional, crop and temporal specific conditions

RSB's Shipping Team

Elena Schmidt
Executive Director

Elena is RSB’s Executive Director. Elena Schmidt joined the RSB in 2015 and has served as the RSB Standards Director since that time. Prior to joining the RSB, she was Head of the TÜV SÜD Certification Body for Climate and […]

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WHY RSB

By 2030, the RSB will have supported the emergence of a new world bioeconomy founded on social, economic and environmental considerations that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals – reducing climate impacts, enhancing food security and rural development, and protecting ecosystems.

With credible solutions, global expertise, partners across the spectrum from government to industry and NGOs, and an extremely robust approach to sustainability, RSB is the partner of choice for the aviation industry as it seeks to fulfil its global commitments to greenhouse gas reduction while also ensuring social development and environmental protection.

RSB is a member-led organisation which represents a worldwide movement of businesses, NGOs, academics, government and UN organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to the development of the sustainable bioeconomy by working together to create our most trusted Standard.

The RSB Standard is the strongest and most trusted of its kind, recognised as such by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Testimonial

We are ambitious: decarbonising the maritime sector is a huge task! But we have seen that it is possible to change an industry narrative to become more sustainable, just as we have seen in the aviation industry. We believe that we will find better solutions, faster, by building alliances with and learning from other industries and leaders. We, at the SSI, are delighted to be collaborating with the RSB and we’re looking forward to further discussing ways of how we can draw on your experiences for the maritime sector’s sustainability journey.

Andrew Stephens, Executive Director, SSI

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