Switzerland-headed MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC), has announced that in continued partnership with compatriot global climate solutions provider South Pole Carbon Asset Management AG (South Pole) it is expanding the MSC Carbon Neutral Programme to clients worldwide throughout 2020.
Since early 2019, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company has partnered with South Pole, to develop the MSC Carbon Neutral Programme. After successful implementation in selected countries, MSC is now extending the programme to clients worldwide throughout 2020.
The programme complements MSC’s strategic approach to sustainability and massive investment in reducing emissions across its fleet. MSC recently completed the launch of the largest class of container ships which produce the lowest carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per container carried by design – MSC’s Gülsün Class.
Furthermore, MSC is actively exploring and trialling a range of alternative fuel and propulsion technologies to support the container shipping industry’s long-term goals to decarbonise.
On top of this, MSC was the first major shipping line in 2019 to offer an option to fully compensate the unavoidable carbon emissions caused by the transport of their cargo through supporting climate protection projects managed by South Pole.
In addition to running the biggest fleet investment programme in the industry, MSC has ensured that customers have an option to compensate for CO2 emissions through the global MSC Carbon Neutral Programme. We have partnered with South Pole, a leading, certified third party to extend the MSC Carbon Neutral Programme and help bridge the gap between shipping today and the zero-carbon future we all aspire to, said Claudio Bozzo, Chief Operating Officer, MSC.
The climate action projects developed by South Pole deliver measurable benefits aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They improve lives, provide jobs, and preserve landscapes for communities around the world.
We congratulate MSC on this important effort to further green their fleet and for facilitating their customers to be more climate-friendly. Transformational change won’t happen overnight, but each step we take along a shared, ambitious climate journey is bringing us closer to where we need to be, said Renat Heuberger, CEO of South Pole.
Rigorous and verified carbon credit scheme
As part of the Carbon Neutral Programme, MSC customers can compensate the emissions from the transportation of their cargo by financially contributing to two selected projects that reduce emissions.
South Pole cancels the same amount of carbon credits generated by these projects, which are audited and third-party certified according to the most stringent international standards, the Verified Carbon Standard (Verra), the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards and the Social Carbon.
The carbon footprint of shipments is measured, after which South Pole certifies that the corresponding amount of carbon credits from the selected two projects is permanently cancelled on behalf of MSC customers in the Verra Registry, a trusted emissions registry run by Verra (former VCS) – an internationally recognised, third-party verification standard.
These carbon credits are assigned serial numbers in the publicly accessible registry ensuring no double counting of claims
MSC clients are given the opportunity to contribute to projects that not only mitigate global CO2 emissions but also improve lives on the ground in communities in China and Zimbabwe – from the development of cleaner energy and to combating poverty, improving skills and ensuring food security, said Natalia Gorina, Commercial Director at South Pole.
