Our Way 1
SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING TEXT SOFIA LUNDGREN, EMMA HO
LMQVIST DEACON PHOTO SHUTTERSTOCK, KAIROS FUTURE, KTH, GU As consumers, we now scrutinize the manufacturing process of the things we eat, wear and drive, but when it comes to transporting our consumer goods, our knowledge isn’t as good. What kind of demands we’re going to make on transport in the future is an intriguing question, not easily answered. SLOWER SHIPPING, A ccording to Jörgen Jedbratt, senior partner at international research company Kairos Future, the biggest challenge ahead is to find out how different microcultures define sustainability. “The very conscious consumers regard sustainability as a key factor in their consumption, and to appeal to them it will be necessary for manufacturers to be able to show not only how their goods have been produced. The logisJörgen Jedbratt tics behind the transportation of the goods will also have to be transparent, if you want to market yourself as sustainable. By predicting the consumer’s needs, the planning of transportation will look totally different in the future.” ONE WAY TO GO could be to make slow steaming mandatory, i.e., operating ships at significantly less than maximum speed. Not 12 OUR WAY SHIPPING CLEAN SHIPPING COALITION, CSC, is an international environmental organization which focuses on shipping issues and was granted observer status by the International Maritime Organization, IMO. In the CSC’s report from 2018, calculations show the impact a speed reduction only does this save money on fuel, it lowers emissions too – but of course also adds to the shipping time. Jakob Kuttenkeuler, professor of Maritime Robotics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, shares the view that a slower speed at sea is necessary. “The speed at sea is too high today. The ship resistance dramatically increases with velocity, and many ships travel at speeds which burn a lot of fuel. Until now, the fuel prices have been low enough for this practice to be profitable, and unfortunately it has taken its toll on the environment.” BETTER SHOPPING would have on maritime emissions. The report says: “One of the few measures that will deliver emission reductions in the shortterm is slow steaming. In order to effectively reduce emissions, speed regulations have to be mandatory and there has to be an enforcement system that deters ships from not complying.” By the end of October 2018, CSC put forward a proposal to IMO, suggesting an international regulation on ship speed as a short-term strategy to fast-forward the industry’s contribution to the global climate actions. Jakob Kuttenkeuler ARE WE, AS consumers, willing to wait longer on our goods? The challenge is to get consumers to understand the relationship between their choices and the environmental impact associated with them. “It’s not always Johan Woxenius easy to get to grips with the freight transport system involved in the making and delivery of different products,” says Johan Woxenius, professor of Maritime Transport Management & Logistics at the University of Gothenburg. “I believe we’ll see more transparency and more detailed information-sharing about the entire processing chain – including transport’s carbon footprint – behind different products so that consumers can make informed shopping decisions.”