Stakeholder engagement
Our ESG strategy and supporting actions are anchored and driven by our understanding of what our stakeholders expect from us.
Our approach to engagement
Maersk continuously engages five key stakeholder groups. Their valued input informs our decisions and the actions we take to live up to our responsibilities and mitigate any potential negative impact on society or the environment. They also help us identify emerging issues that may pose significant risk to our business.
Stakeholder group | Stakeholder expectations | Key input sources |
---|---|---|
Stakeholder group
Customers
|
Stakeholder expectations
Demand for solutions that ensure responsible business practices and net zero emissions in their supply chains
|
Key input sources
|
Stakeholder group
Employees |
Stakeholder expectations
Want work to provide meaning and to receive fair treatment and wages, a sense of belonging for all, and good development opportunities.
|
Key input sources
|
Stakeholder group
Investors |
Stakeholder expectations
Demand for strategies and plans that mitigate current and future risk to the business model. Strong focus on climate change including both risks and opportunities.
|
Key input sources
|
Stakeholder group
Authorities
|
Stakeholder expectations
Demand compliance with existing regulation on responsible business practices and collaboration on transformation to net zero
|
Key input sources
|
Stakeholder group
Civil society |
Stakeholder expectations
Want high level of ambitions and accountability on all sustainability-related issues where Maersk is perceived to have impact on society or the environment
|
Key input sources
|
ESG ratings as a proxy for stakeholder expectations
We have prioritised the ESG ratings that are most recognised and used by our customers and investors and which align with our ESG priorities. Our ambition is to work towards reaching leadership scores in these ratings and it is expected that our level of disclosure will continue to increase as our ESG strategy matures.

ESG risk to business
We draw on Maersk’s enterprise risk management process, which assesses top risks to achieving our business plan within a 5-year horizon. Four ESG issues are assessed as among our top risks.
These risks are: human capital (inability to attract and scale the right workforce), safety (failure to ensure the safety and security of our employees), climate change (failure to decarbonise our end-to-end supply chain at a speed that matches our customers’ and investors’ expectations), and business ethics (being involved in a large compliance case).
For more information, see the section on risk in our Annual Report.
These risks are: human capital (inability to attract and scale the right workforce), safety (failure to ensure the safety and security of our employees), climate change (failure to decarbonise our end-to-end supply chain at a speed that matches our customers’ and investors’ expectations), and business ethics (being involved in a large compliance case).
For more information, see the section on risk in our Annual Report.

Assessing our corporate human rights impacts
A corporate-level human rights assessment informs our understanding of Maersk’s potential and actual human rights risks and impacts across our value chain.

Engaging with customers on sustainability
We engage with our customers on sustainability as part of daily business relationships and in dedicated fora. Understanding their needs and priorities is a vital part of our continuous evaluation of Maersk’s strategic direction, and we are always looking for potential partners, not least for driving us towards net zero as fast as possible.
Gaining deep insights into our customers’ own sustainability challenges and goals also gives us the opportunity to develop innovative and sustainable services that help their businesses go all the way.
Gaining deep insights into our customers’ own sustainability challenges and goals also gives us the opportunity to develop innovative and sustainable services that help their businesses go all the way.
