The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) identified a set of sustainability principles for the zero and low carbon fuels under consideration as substitutes for the conventional fossil-based marine fuels, focusing on the important use of sustainable fuels and technologies to decarbonize the industry.
Specifically, the SSI launched the paper called “Defining sustainability criteria for zero and low carbon marine fuels,” that seeks to contribute to the broader debate currently underway in the maritime sector on incentivizing and enabling the uptake of sustainable, zero and low carbon marine fuels, and ensuring that the sustainability of a marine fuel over its entire lifecycle is considered alongside its price, availability and technical feasibility.
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Sustainability Principles
According to the paper, the development of sustainability principles and criteria as well as the subsequent standard-setting and certification process will contribute to the identification and mitigation of risks, increase trust and credibility among key stakeholder groups and reduce reputational risk.
Potential user groups for the sustainability principles and criteria include:
- Fuel producers/traders/brokers/suppliers
- Shipowners (as fuel purchasers)
- Shipping customers
- Local, regional and international regulators seeking assurance of zero and low carbon shipping
- Investors in zero and low carbon shipping.
Moreover, the principles will inform the definition of sustainability criteria for use in the setting of standards and development of certification schemes, that may vary according to these different feedstocks and production pathways, as well as market demand, and may be further elaborated and differentiated according to those variables.
The table below outlines the sustainability issues and related principles developed by SSI in relation to the potential feedstocks and primary energy sources to produce marine fuels under consideration for zero and low carbon shipping.
