Shipping moves the world.
But we must make it cleaner.
The world is changing fast.
We have seen how climate shocks, geopolitics and pandemics have exposed the fragility of worldwide industries and global trade.
With 80% of world trade being moved across the ocean, international shipping is not immune.
And shipping is a major climate polluter. In fact, if it were a country, its emissions would rank as the world’s sixth largest, similar to emissions from major economies such as Germany.
of world trade is moved across the ocean
of world trade is moved across the ocean
Without action, shipping will continue to pollute.
Shipping must evolve
With climate pressures mounting, the future of shipping will inevitably look very different to how it is now.
To ensure it becomes safer, cleaner and fairer, we need to guide it towards a future that aligns with the planet’s ecological limits to mitigate climate change impacts and improve ocean health.
The planetary boundaries concept presents a set of nine planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. As time continues, we can see the effects human activities and pressures put on the planet, with crossed boundaries increasing the risk of irreversible damage to the environment.
As the backbone of global trade, carrying most of our goods over the ocean, the shipping sector has enormous responsibility, but also enormous potential. The choices we make now will shape whether shipping becomes part of the problem or the solution.
@Stockholm Resilience Centre
@Stockholm Resilience Centre
@Stockholm Resilience Centre
@Stockholm Resilience Centre
There is no single solution or silver bullet
SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING MEANS:
Shorter and smarter routes and supply chains
This means cutting out inefficient and unnecessary detours. Ships travel long distances across the ocean to move goods that could be produced closer to home. Through smarter route planning, avoiding empty return journeys, and reducing excessive global transport of nonessential goods, ships can drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
More efficient vessels
Many ships waste huge amounts of energy due to outdated designs and poor maintenance. Improving hull design, optimising speed, and using cleaner fuels can significantly reduce pollution, reduce underwater noise and avoid whale collisions.
Just a 10% reduction in speed can reduce underwater noise by up to 40%, and greenhouse gas emissions by 13%.
Tapping into wind propulsion
Not just a nostalgic throwback but a modern solution to emission pollution. Modern wind-assisted technologies can reduce fuel consumption by 12% on certain routes with optimised weather conditions. These technologies are ready and available now and can help cut emissions without waiting for future e-fuels, which are predicted to quadruple in price by 2040.
Reducing unnecessary shipping through local and circular economies
Not everything needs to travel halfway around the world.
Embedding circular economy principles – reuse, repair, recycle - and producing more goods locally reduces the demand for long-distance trade and journeys. That means fewer ships burn fossil fuels to move products that can be made at home.
Localised production can:
- Create more jobs
- Shorten supply chains
- Strengthen economic resilience
- Reduce material use
- Lower carbon emissions
All without leaving communities behind
The transition must protect coastal communities, workers, and developing economies that rely on maritime trade. Cleaner shipping means better jobs and upskilling workers, safer ports and equitable investment.
It's not about stopping trade,
it's about reimagining trade
Shipping must clean up its act
and fast.
One of the first steps is clear: shipping must clean up its act and fast. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has decarbonisation goals that were agreed upon in 2023: to reduce 30% of emissions by 2030, 80% by 2040 and reach full decarbonisation by 2050. To get there, the strategy plans require the uptake of zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources such as wind propulsion technologies and e-fuels to represent at least 5% – and ideally 10% – of energy used by international shipping by 2030.
Ambition means nothing without action.
The Net Zero Framework, imperfect as it is, is a product of careful negotiation and consensus. Undermining it risks weakening the very corporation needed to deliver global progress. Cleaning up the shipping sector cannot be partial, selective, or optional. Without collective action, we are not bending the curve, we are simply delaying the consequences.
Fairness is not optional.
Not every country can easily transition to cleaner fuels and uptake new technologies such as wind propulsion. This is why a carbon pricing mechanism (aka. a levy) is fundamental in the decarbonisation strategy plans. Revenues gained from fines from polluting ships can be put towards helping climate vulnerable countries. If anything, a more ambitious levy is needed to ensure real support is received and climate change will eventually cease to hit those least responsible the hardest.
A reality check.
Most ships that will be sailing in 2030 are already in the water today, and fuels meant to replace fossil energy cannot be scaled up fast enough, meaning they won't be widely available.
We have a solution that is sitting right in front of us: Wind propulsion. When we think of wind propulsion, we immediately imagine historical ships with huge sails. But guess what? Harnessing wind is back and it’s a great ally in the push towards clean shipping.
Scaling up wind propulsion can bridge this gap by:
- Delivering immediate reductions in fossil fuel use and emissions
- Lowering the demand for alternative fuels, making the energy transition more manageable
- Offering flexibility to ship operators as they navigate the shift to clean fuel energy.
The EU must step up.
The EU must ensure that wind propulsion is appropriately incentivised in its upcoming frameworks. It also has a decisive part to play by prioritising zero-emission fuels and technologies, tapping into innovation and research and turn policy frameworks into action.
It doesn't stop at sea.
Ports are the backbone of Europe’s economy, often located in fragile marine areas such as estuaries. Yet expansion and activities continue, often at the expense of nature. To genuinely protect and restore marine environments, nature must be embedded into port planning and development, avoiding expansion in sensitive natural areas and prioritising nature-based solutions such as ecological breakwaters, living seawalls and smarter sediment management.
This is about more than shipping.
It's about how we produce, trade, and consume.
At a time of fragile global trade dynamics, centering stronger circular economy principles and localised/regionalised production in ports can:
- reduce emissions
- shorten transport distances
- create resilient jobs
Our asks:
One Planet Shipping
For centuries, shipping, ports and trade have been built on the idea of endless growth, a system that is straining both the planet and the people who depend upon it.
It is time for a shift.
Shipping now needs to switch these archaic practices to efficient systems that operate at a pace and scale that the planet can sustain, investing in cleaner, safer, and fairer maritime systems.
Sufficiency and fairness must be the beating heart of global shipping and trade policies, ensuring that shipping serves the planet and not the other way around.
Wind First!
Wind power once ruled the seas. Now it can help clean them.
Scaling up wind propulsion through the global shipping fleet is one of the more reliable innovations to help lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Wind propulsion technology offers a true zero-emission fuel, whether integrated into a new vessel or retrofitted onto existing fleets.
The technology exists. What we need now is political and financial will.
From harm to harmony – time to clean up shipping!
Shipping doesn't just affect the climate. It affects the ocean itself.
Pollution. climate change. biodiversity loss.
To stay within ecological limits, we call for binding measures that drastically reduce shipping's impact on the ocean, its ecosystems and coastal communities. Measures that transform trade routes and ports into part of the solution.
Our vision for shipping is guided by clear principles:
- Just and equitable for people and communities
- Prevention before profit
- Cooperation over competition
- Building climate resilience in shipping and trade
- Only solutions that respect planetary boundaries
Now is the time
to change course!
The IMO, its member states and the European Union must align in the fight against climate change and steer shipping towards a cleaner future for the well-being of the people and the planet.
Delay is no longer an option.
Bold policies, decisive action, and global cooperation are essential to drive shipping to a truly sustainable and resilient future.
The course has been set
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