Last month, the climate advocacy organizations Pacific Environment and Stand.earth released a report highlighting the hidden toll retail giants are taking on the planet by ferrying goods across the world on fossil-fuel-powered container ships. This month, the Swiss outdoor clothing company Mammut took a small but “industry-leading” step toward addressing that problem.
In early August, Mammut published a strategy document outlining its plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2030. Buried in the 47-page report is a pledge to transport its goods on zero-emissions vessels by the end of the decade — a move climate campaigners believe to be a first for the retail sector.
How exactly the company will achieve that goal is, at this point, uncertain: Currently, every single merchant vessel on the high seas burns fossil fuels. But the relatively small Mammut, which brought in $240 million in revenue in 2020, sees its zero-emissions shipping pledge as an opportunity to draw attention to a part of the supply chain that’s badly in need of climate-friendly makeover, and to lead by example.
“We hope many others follow our way and al... Read more
