Our Way 1
EDITORIAL Why is Oceanbird IMPORTANT? T 4 OUR WAY
he other day I bought vegetables from a local farmer just a few kilometres from my house. And I took the bicycle to get there and back. This way I eliminated the need of transport, by sea and land over long distances. Today, nearly everything we do releases greenhouse gases. This we need to change. The insight for the need to act is growing, not only among private citizens but also among states, federations, businesses and other organizations. The Swedish parliament has decided that Sweden will have no net emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by 2045. Several nations have now declared that they will aim for climate neutrality at certain dates; China by 2060, Austria by 2040, Denmark 2050, Finland 2035 and most of EU is committed to 2050. The US has as of now withdrawn from the 2015 Paris Agreement, but California is aiming for 2045. HOWEVER, THE SWEDISH Environmental Protection Agency’s scenarios show that Sweden will not achieve the climate goal with the current approach. This is why Oceanbird is so important, since the current measures not are enough. With a windpowered cargo ship, a very old tradition in a new shape, we show that disruptive change is possible. We want to inspire others to do something groundbreaking as well, in order to stop climate change. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN specialized agency, has adopted mandatory measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping. The IMO target is to reduce total annual GHG emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050, compared to 2008. Projects today range from reducing fuel consumption on conventional vessels to ships with batteries or, in our case, a windpowered ship. Fossilfree fuels are an important path to explore. The solution is not a single technology, but a combination of all available ones. Different solutions will be suitable for different conditions and environments, in the fleet of today and new ships tomorrow. WITH OCEANBIRD WE also want to reach economical sustainability, i.e., that sustaintech is sound business that generates revenue. This has been proven already by many other businesses, and there are now investment funds that only invest in sustaintech. We want to show that the shipping sector can also achieve this. We at Wallenius do it every day, from our own windmills to windpowered ships and beyond. It’s necessary that other industries, such as car makers and logistics companies, as well as consumers, take action to reduce climate change in every way they can. Where will you buy your vegetables tomorrow? Published by Soya Group Editor-in-Chief & Publisher responsible under Swedish press law Richard Jeppsson Editorial production OTW Editors Sofia Lundgren, Pia Adolfsson Jansson Art Director & Layout Artist Martin Isaksson Cover photo Martin Isaksson, Shutterstock Printer Trydells, Laholm ~ If you have any comments or questions related to Our Way, please email: ourway@soyagroup.com ~ Copyright texts and images in Our Way may not be republished without permission from the editor or publisher responsible. ABOUT SOYA GROUP Soya Group is the collective name for a group of companies active within three main business areas: shipping, real estate and trotting. The group was founded in 1934 and the common denominator for all companies is that all business shall be carried out with a strong sustainable focus. Today, some 1,100 people work in Soya Group companies in Europe, the US and Asia. For information about how we handle your personal information, see https://www.soyagroup.com/ en-GB/About-the-Soya-Group/ Data-protection-policy/. If you wish to be removed from the Our Way distribution list, please send an email to ourway@soyagroup.com. Trycksak 3041 0091 RICHARD JEPPSSON VP Commercial & Partnership Oceanbird A GREEN MAGAZINE This magazine is produced in accordance with the Nordic ecolabelling system, the Swan. T S V K A R N Ä E M N E