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Maersk Line has announced that it has signed a strategic sustainability partnership with paints and coatings company AkzoNobel in a move that aims to reduce carbon emissions per container shipped by 10 percent.

As part of the agreement which was signed in The Hague, both companies will cooperate and explore innovations and new ideas that can help improving sustainability and business performance, both within the companies as well as in the overall marine and logistics industry.

The aim of the partnership is to drive positive change in a number of areas, including:

- Creating transparency on sustainable best practices in the supply chain

- Identifying ways to integrate sustainability into the customer-supplier relationship as a decision-making factor

- Reducing carbon emissions per container shipped by 10 percent

Both parties are members of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) - a global coalition set up to tackle some of the sector's greatest opportunities and challenges. Connecting the shipping industry's key stakeholders, the SSI works towards sustainable shipping practices.

"The partnership on sustainability with AkzoNobel is an important step towards a common framework to jointly elevate and promote supply chain transparency and sustainability in our industries," said Annette Stube, Head of Sustainability Maersk Transport & logistics. "Successful resolution of sustainability issues will rarely occur through the power of one individual company. The fact that we are customers and suppliers to each other and join forces to drive change can have significant positive impact to the customer-supplier relationship."

"We are proud to partner with Maersk Line. This is pioneering collaboration in the industry where two industry leaders have come together to make the world a more sustainable place, in line with our Planet Possible approach," commented Andre Veneman, AkzoNobel's Corporate Director of Sustainability. "We live in a world where sustainability is important for the long-term existence of our company, our society and our planet. By working together with customers, partners and suppliers, we can make life more liveable, healthy and inspiring."

"This partnership describes the aspirations and activities to support our joint collaboration on sustainability areas. It forms a milestone in sustainability discussions between customers and suppliers and as such will be an integrated agenda item for all meetings between our companies in the future," remarked Rutger Heijsteeg, Sales Channel Manager.

Last year, AkzoNobel awarded its first carbon credits to a shipowner, Greece's Neda Maritime Agency Co Ltd, via an initiative which rewards operators for converting to sustainable hull coatings that improve operational efficiencies and reduce emissions.

Also last year, in September, Bunker Index reported that Quadrise International Limited (QIL), the fully owned operating subsidiary of Quadrise Fuels International plc (QFI), had extended two contracts with AkzoNobel that are principally focused on the formulation and processing of novel emulsion fuels to optimise performance and cost.