ZEMBA launched a Request for Proposals (RfP) for 600,000 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) over a three-year period on ocean vessels powered by zero-emission fuels, according to ZEMBA's release. Through this tender, ZEMBA will help its member companies reduce nearly 1 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions, equivalent to taking 215,000 cars off the road. The RfP is the first major buyer-led initiative to accelerate the transition to zero-emission maritime fuels in one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonize.
ZEMBA was launched as a nonprofit membership organization in March 2023 by the Aspen Institute, Amazon, Patagonia, and Tchibo to fast-track commercial deployment of zero-emissions shipping services at scale, create a competitive market for these services, and help reduce emissions. For this first tender, ZEMBA has secured more than 20 members, including: Amazon, Bauhaus, Brooks Running, Chewy, Electrolux Group, Flexport, Green Worldwide Shipping, IKEA, Levi Strauss & Co., lululemon, Meta, Moose Toys, New Balance, Nike, Patagonia, Philips, Schneider Electric, Sport-Thieme and Tchibo.
The ZEMBA RfP is seeking bids for shipping services, from individual carriers or consortiums, that achieve at least a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional fossil fuels on a lifecycle basis. Fuel choice will address safety and land use concerns, particularly those that relate to biogenic substances. Delivery of shipping services powered by new, cleaner fuels is anticipated in 2025.
ZEMBA will consider bids that meet the following criteria:
Sufficient capacity to cover ZEMBA members’ aggregate demand of 600,000+ TEUs across a distance of 6,000 nautical miles/~11,000 km over three years.
Access to fuels that provide GHG emission reductions of at least 90% compared to traditional fossil fuels on a lifecycle basis.
Transparent fuel lifecycle emissions to validate emission reduction claims. This will be enabled through rigorous in-sector book-and-claim approaches that assure highly credible emissions reductions, while allowing companies to maintain reliable supply chains necessary for our global economy.
Through the RfP, ZEMBA will negotiate a “green premium” for the aggregated demand of its members. The green premium accounts for the added cost of operating a vessel using zero-emission fuels. Final contracting will be bilateral between ZEMBA members and the winning bidder. Additionally, as part of the RfP bidding process, ZEMBA is requesting vessel and fuel assurances from bidders. The winning bidder will also be required to provide third-party verification of the emissions reduction ZEMBA members can claim.
ZEMBA’s RfP is focused on stimulating a new marketplace for zero-emission fuels and deploying long-term, scalable solutions for the entire shipping industry. With this in mind, future RfP criteria for lifecycle emissions may move upward from 90% as technology innovation unfolds and sustainable fuels, infrastructure, and supply chains are implemented.
ZEMBA’s RfP was developed in association with partners from Lloyd’s Register, a leading provider of classification and compliance services to the maritime and offshore industries, Neoteric Energy and Climate LLC, a specialized climate and energy advisory firm with experience running RfPs for the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), and the law firm of Pillsbury, as outside legal counsel.
ZEMBA is an initiative of Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV), a platform for cargo owners to work together toward a decarbonized maritime sector, facilitated by the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program. The coZEV 2040 Ambition Statement has united 19 global brands to date around an ambition to use zero-emission shipping for their ocean freight by 2040 exclusively. At COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, coZEV released the coZEV Roadmap to 2040 which outlined actions available to cargo owners to enable full decarbonization of their ocean freight by 2040. ZEMBA will make subsequent announcements in the coming months.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. The Institute has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. It also maintains offices in New York City and has an international network of partners.
The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA), a non-profit organization [(501(c)(3) application pending)] is a first-of-its-kind buyers group within the maritime sector with the mission to accelerate commercial deployment of zero-emission shipping, enable economies of scale, and help cargo owners maximize emissions reduction beyond what any one freight buyer could accomplish alone. ZEMBA is an initiative of Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels and facilitated by the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program.