NORDEN is working on a pilot project with Microsoft to help reduce its maritime supply chain emissions by utilising NORDEN’s biofuel voyage and Book and Claim solution.
Through this pilot project, Microsoft was expected to reduce its maritime Scope 3 emissions by almost 10,000 tonnes of CO2e over a period of three years. Julia Fidler, who leads Fuel and Material Decarbonization under Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft, stated that the collaboration with NORDEN, along with their pilot with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), would help further develop the necessary registry infrastructure.
This, she indicated, would allow Microsoft to lower its maritime supply chain emissions in a transparent and credible manner while also promoting the adoption of sustainable maritime fuels.
It was also mentioned that NORDEN and Microsoft would work with RSB to test updates to RSB’s internationally recognised Book and Claim system, ensuring it could reliably track sustainable maritime fuel claims.
Anne Jensen, COO at NORDEN, expressed that they were pleased to collaborate with Microsoft, a partner that shared their ambition to scale the use of low-carbon fuels to cut emissions in the maritime industry.
How book and claim works
As explained, with a book and claim system, it is possible for companies – like Microsoft – to reduce maritime emissions, even if not directly partnered with a specific shipping company. In this pilot project, NORDEN used certified waste-based biofuel over several voyages, offering an 80-90% life cycle emissions reduction compared to traditional fossil fuels. NORDEN then transferred the emissions reductions to Microsoft via its book and claim solution, providing full transparency on the transferred reductions.
The pilot project underwent a double audit by independent verifiers and follows a framework developed by the Smart Freight Centre, ensuring full traceability and credibility.
