Our policies and positions

Strengthened regional decarbonisation measures

We are happy to see the EU and US providing climate leadership through tangible measures and support.The US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Clean Shipping Act - potential to enable a step change and we are confident that such programmes will make a meaningful difference for decarbonisation - also beyond logistics. In 2021, the European Commission presented the Fit for 55 Package (FF55), the cornerstone of the EU’s efforts to combat climate change. Throughout 2022, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU negotiated on several important pieces of FF55, of which the four most important elements from Maersk’s perspective are:

1. EU ETS (Emissions Trading System) - the first carbon price on shipping emissions
2. FuelEU Maritime proposal - the first fuel standards supporting the use of green shipping fuels
3. RED (Renewable Energy Directive) - the legal framework for the development of renewable energy, including e-fuels, across all sectors in the EU

Read more in our FuelEU Maritime Initiative and EU ETS position papers.

To ensure full transparency on our policy outreach, Maersk is also listed in the EU Transparency Register, where all meetings with members of the Commission and policy submissions are made publicly available, view them here.

Managing environmental impacts

Maersk is fully committed to complying with all environmental regulations adopted at national, EU and IMO levels to ensure that the environment is protected from potential negative impacts of international shipping.

We are a strong advocate for the effective enforcement of environmental legislation by all IMO Member States to secure a level commercial playing field for the industry.

The UN COP15 global biodiversity summit resulted in an agreement on key measures, including to reduce the risk of species extinction, protect 30% of land and sea, and require companies to contribute and report on their impacts.

Maersk is engaging in alliances and collaborative work to refine our understanding and develop models to manage and account for our potential impacts on nature, with the aspiration of aligning to science-based targets for nature once universal standards are defined.

We have led the industry in pushing for stronger regulations and enforcement for air emissions from shipping. The ‘IMO2020 changeover’ regulating sulphur emissions, which entered into force on 1 January 2020, has had immense positive impacts on human health, especially amongst people living in coastal areas and near ports.

On ocean health and biodiversity, Maersk complies with legislation on releasing substances into the oceans. This includes meeting the standards and rules of legislation on key issues such as ballast water and anti-fouling. Maersk has an internal zero-dumping policy that obligates all vessels to store waste (including excess plastics) and discard it when in a port with adequate facilities to receive it.

Furthermore, Maersk is also supporting scientific and civil society initiatives to improve ocean health. This includes, for instance, supporting The Ocean Cleanup, which seeks to remove plastic waste from the oceans.

Taking a lead on responsible ship recycling

Environmental regulations also cover ship recycling as this can pose a risk to the environment, as well as to human health and safety, if done in an unlawful and unsafe manner.

To ensure that our vessels are recycled responsibly and under safe conditions, Maersk has developed its own Responsible Ship Recycling Standard (RSRS). The RSRS goes beyond international rules covering the protection of health, safety and the environment. It also sets requirements on anti-corruption and labour rights based on established international standards and the Maersk Code of Conduct.

Adherence to RSRS requirements is supervised by Maersk-appointed teams. The entire RSRS programme is subject to external validation through frequent audits, the results of which are shared transparently.

Maersk is a founding member of the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative. The initiative aims to accelerate a voluntary and market-driven approach to responsible ship recycling practices through transparency to influence and improve decision-making about ship recycling and create a level playing field across the industry.

Read more in our Responsible Ship Recycling position paper.

Making sure everyone gets home safe

We are committed to protecting our people, our business partners, the communities we work alongside and the customers we serve. We operationalise this commitment by ensuring all A.P. Moller - Maersk operations are carried out safely and securely with minimal impact to the environment.

We achieve this commitment by providing a safe, healthy, secure work environment, complying with relevant HSSE legal and contractual requirements, ensuring business continuity to our customers through the consistent application of effective HSSE related processes. We work continuously to embed HSSE risk management across our operations and decision making processes.

Read more in our HSSE policy.

We review our membership status once a year to ensure that the trade associations in which we are members lobby in alignment with the goals of the Paris Agreement as well as other key issues. This includes assessing how their approach and outreach reflect our views and values. One outcome of the 2022 process is our decision to support the strengthening of the WSC and dedicate internal resources hereto. Our choice to step down from the ICS Board should also be seen in this context.