CMA CGM and the Parc national des Calanques join forces to protect the exceptional heritage of the Provençal coastline

The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, and the Parc national des Calanques (Calanques National Park), have announced a large-scale, multi-year partnership that aims to protect and showcase the spectacular heritage of the Calanques. Located between Marseille, Cassis and La Ciotat, these rocky inlets are not just stunningly beautiful, they are also a globally unique sanctuary of biodiversity.

The CMA CGM Group’s commitment complements its existing initiatives in Marseille and the surrounding region and follows on from several actions already completed alongside the Parc national des Calanques.

The primary goal of this first multi-year partnership that runs from 2021 to 2023 between the Parc national des Calanques and the CMA CGM Group is to support efforts to showcase the Calanques’ unique heritage. The plan is to provide the general public with extensive information about biodiversity by producing the requisite tools (media, physical installations and displays in the natural environment).

At the heart of the partnership, the CMA CGM Group also intends to find ways for its employees to take practical measures to conserve biodiversity and protect the marine and land environment, which forms one of the pillars of the sustainable development strategy launched by the Group on a global scale.

This agreement covers:

• Showcasing the Parc national des Calanques’ heritage (creation of educational guides and materials, installations for landmark areas in the Calanques, etc.)
• Organizing several annual events, including clean-up operations involving CMA CGM Group employees
• Arranging talks by Parc national des Calanques experts at information and educational events for CMA CGM employees, raising awareness of the importance of conserving marine biodiversity
• Providing access for the Group’s employees to a special area of the Mes Calanques app so they can keep in touch with the latest news about the project and events

On Saturday, June 5 to mark World Environment Day, over 100 volunteers from among the Group’s staff will take part in a major clean-up operation along the coastline at the heart of the Parc national des Calanques.

The CMA CGM Group is committed to protecting the environment and biodiversity through various practical ground-breaking initiatives:

• In 2019, Rodolphe Saadé made the decision that none of the Group’s ships would take the Northern Sea routes to protect the Arctic’s unique and fragile ecosystems.
• From late 2021, the CMA CGM Group’s liquefied natural gas-powered vessels will be able to undertake bunkering operations at Fos-sur-Mer. LNG, biomethane and biofuel, are the solutions currently employed by CMA CGM to deliver an immediate reduction in the environmental footprint of its shipping and logistics operations. They represent the first steps the CMA CGM Group is taking to meet its target of being carbon-neutral by 2050.
• In 2020, CMA CGM launched Reef Recovery, a vast regeneration program for coral reefs with an initial project on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, in partnership with Reef Restoration Foundation.
• CMA CGM has embarked this year on a global reforestation plan, planting 110,000 trees—one for each of the Group’s employees—in 12 countries under local agro-forestry programs that aim to regenerate nature and support the development of local populations.
   

Firmly committed to protecting the environment and biodiversity, the CMA CGM Group is pressing ahead with its efforts to look after the planet as part of its sustainable development strategy.