MADRID (Reuters) – The world’s biggest fashion retailer, Spain’s Inditex, has agreed with the freight group Maersk to incorporate alternative fuels on all its inbound routes with the carrier as a way to reduce its global greenhouse gas footprint.
The Zara owner is one of Maersk’s first customers to assign 100% of its ocean inbound cargo to its Eco Delivery Ocean service, which allows for a significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to green fuels, Maersk managing director for southwest Europe, Emilio de la Cruz, said in a statement.
Shipping group Maersk sees fashion brands as a key driver of demand for green marine fuels as the sector faces pressure from consumers and regulators to reduce its carbon footprint.
Maersk has been replacing fossil fuels on its ships with green fuels like green methanol or second-generation biodiesel based on waste feedstocks.
Inditex, which also owns fashion brands Massimo Dutti and Pull&Bear, said the project was in line with its goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 and would help scale up alternative fuels with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.
(Reporting by Corina Pons, additional reporting by Helen Reid, editing by Ed Osmond)
