Scaling Clean Maritime: ZEMBA and Partners Call on SBTi to Embrace Indirect Mitigation

At LUSAYIN, we closely track the mechanisms that drive decarbonization across the transportation sector. One of the most pressing and complex frontiers remains maritime shipping—a global sector responsible for nearly 3% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and notorious for its “hard-to-abate” challenges.

That’s why we’re highlighting a bold step taken this week by the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) and Katalist. Together, they convened 13 first-mover organizations—including industry giants like A.P. Moller – Maersk, Liquid Wind, Swire Bulk, Unifeeder, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines—to submit an Open Letter to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Read the full Open Letter here

The letter focuses on one critical issue: how the upcoming Corporate Net Zero Standard 2.0 (CNZS 2.0) can better reflect the realities of indirect mitigation strategies in sectors like maritime.

While SBTi rightly emphasizes direct supplier engagement, the coalition argues that indirect mitigation—such as aggregated demand signals, co-investments in emerging clean fuels, and coalition-based procurement models like ZEMBA’s—can often scale decarbonization faster and more credibly in hard-to-abate sectors.

Companies like Patagonia and DS NORDEN are backing the letter, signaling cross-sector consensus around the need for flexible but credible climate accounting frameworks. These efforts build on the foundational work SBTi has already done but emphasize clarity and support for the broader ecosystem of action that underpins industrial decarbonization.

At LUSAYIN, we believe that scaling zero-emission freight solutions—from roads to oceans—requires not just technology and capital, but policy clarity and industry coordination. ZEMBA and this coalition are showing what that leadership looks like.

As the maritime sector evolves, we’ll continue tracking and supporting initiatives that align real-world impact with science-based accountability.

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Want to learn more about LUSAYIN’s work in transportation decarbonization? Contact us here for updates on the transition to zero-emission mobility across sectors.