French container shipping group CMA CGM has launched its ‘TEUs to Trees’ early container return incentive programme designed to increase climate change mitigation in the US while assisting in the overall effort to improve both the fluidity and velocity of the supply chain. T
This new incentive program is an opportunity to reward customers for helping to increase equipment availability and offset their environmental footprint. The carbon credits CMA CGM will purchase on behalf of its customers will notably be used to expand US forestry, support urban resilience projects in vulnerable communities and drive the creation of additional offset projects in the US. Through this programme, the Group aims to partner with its customers to move forward together towards more sustainable shipping.
In order to increase impact, CMA CGM has also expanded this new early container return incentive to cover both refrigerated and dry containers as well as every US ocean terminal where CMA CGM receives empty containers. This enables shippers of all sizes and locations to offset carbon emissions.
With the shipping industry having experienced an unprecedented spike in demand throughout North America, leading to increased pressure on capacity and ports, CMA CGM has leveraged its capabilities that include sea, land, air, and logistics services to provide flexible transport solutions to assist customers. The company has increased capacity and made significant investments in equipment.
Credits will be provided to CMA CGM customers that return both dry and refrigerated containers originating from nearly 20 Asian countries to CMA CGM-approved return locations in port cities throughout the US. Each applicable importer of record will receive 2.5t of carbon credits per container returned during calendar days 1–4.
Ed Aldridge, President, CMA CGM America and American President Lines, said: “Our newest incentive programme is a perfect example of our continual quest to create innovative solutions that result in better ways of doing business. Encouraging customers to return boxes sooner provides additional containers and chassis for export bookings, and the type of incentive we are offering will result in the formation of new socio-environmental projects right here in the United States. It is our hope that through this programme, others in the industry will be inspired to leverage their capabilities to positively impact the environment and our local communities.”
