As Demand Grows to Reduce Supply Chain Emissions, MSC’s Biofuel Solution Offers Immediate Scope 3 Reductions

Stakeholders across the global supply chain are increasingly focusing on emissions reduction in their supply chain footprint. MSC, the world’s largest ocean carrier, has a critical role to play in deploying the assets, fuels and technologies to reduce its customers’ supply chain emissions while at the same time reducing its own carbon footprint.

To this end MSC has been investing and innovating substantially in ship design, newbuilding and retrofitting, as well as cutting-edge technologies and digital applications to improve energy efficiency and ensure the readiness of its fleet of nearly 800 ships to adopt zero-carbon fuels as they become available. MSC has set the target of net zero decarbonization by 2050.

In 2022 MSC launched our Journey to Net Zero programme that leverages both current as well as future alternative fuels through a carbon insetting system. Under this programme and upon the request of customers, we decided to offer MSC Biofuel Solution through which we bunker certified sustainable second-generation biofuel (predominantly Used Cooking Oil Methyl Esther, or UCOME).

Apart from LNG and biofuel that have an expansive network of bunkering locations, most low-carbon fuels are not yet available at scale and are bunkered at a limited number of ports. This poses significant challenges for their wide deployment across our ocean-going fleet. To meet rising customer demands, MSC Biofuel Solution was launched to reduce their supply chain footprint.

By opting for MSC Biofuel Solution shippers reap the associated carbon savings. Carbon insetting is an opportunity to partner with customers interested in reducing the carbon footprint of their supply chain. MSC has witnessed a growing interest in its biofuel programme, reflecting customers’ increasingly ambitious decarbonisation targets, including freight forwarders and shippers seeking to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.

Currently, second-generation biofuels provide immediate emission reductions without requiring adjustments to be made to existing onboard propulsion technologies in our ships. Our carbon insetting programme, MSC Biofuel Solution, is an example of how we are partnering with others across the supply chain to advance the transition towards zero-emission shipping.

MSC has also developed a transparent and robust accounting system for our Journey to Net Zero programme including our current offering MSC Biofuel Solution. In addition to providing documentation certifying the sustainability of the biofuel bunkered, customers also receive external verification of the accuracy and integrity of the carbon insetting process.