A new industry report, released on June 11, reveals that 32 prominent ship charterers and operators, who collectively manage 14% of the world's seaborne wet and dry bulk trades, achieved only modest improvements in their decarbonization performance during 2025. The report highlighted increased utilization of biofuels and energy-saving devices as contributing factors to this progress. However, the signatories of the Sea Cargo Charter largely failed to meet their overall emissions reduction targets, a situation attributed in part to existing regulatory ambiguities.
For freight forwarders and supply chain managers, this report signals a continued challenge in sourcing truly decarbonized shipping options. While some carriers are making efforts, the overall pace of emissions reduction among major operators remains slow. This could lead to increased pressure from shippers seeking to reduce their Scope 3 emissions, potentially driving demand for carriers that demonstrate more significant progress. Forwarders may need to actively assess carrier environmental performance and potentially factor this into their routing and carrier selection decisions, especially as regulatory frameworks evolve.