Patricia Picini, VP Sustainability: “We are committed to ensuring that the whole supply chain is eco-friendly.”
Why is it important for CMA CGM to participate in these European Sustainable Development Weeks?
Our CEO Rodolphe Saadé has set a new strategic mission for the CMA CGM Group, which is to contribute towards sustainable globalization. It is therefore very important for us to mobilize for this event. With our logistics subsidiary CEVA Logistics, our Group combines shipping with logistics and can therefore offer end-to-end solutions. We are committed to ensuring that the whole supply chain is eco-friendly, and we have noticed that this issue is also of equal importance to our customers who are sensitive to their carbon footprint.
How are staff members involved in this process?
Our 110,000 staff members are aware of all these challenges and they represent the first vectors of our strategy. These Sustainable Development Weeks are an opportunity for us to develop, explain, and educate by inviting various experts, and also mobilize our staff members around concrete actions. I am considering, for example, the participation in the World Cleanup Day or the many internal challenges such as reducing the number of emails sent or giving priority to soft mobility.
Sustainable development is at the heart of the CMA CGM strategy. Can you tell us in a few words what does the Group's commitment represent in this area?
The Group has shown commitments to the environment very early on, with the creation of a devoted department since 2003, followed by very concrete measures, such as the first orders for bamboo-floored eco-containers in 2005, the creation of Fleet Centers in 2007, and the systematic integration as of 2008 of the latest environmental protection technologies for new constructions (electronic injection engines, new bulb or propeller designs, etc.). These measures have had a significant impact, as the Group has succeeded in halving its CO2 emissions per TEU-Km between 2008 and 2019. Our efforts continue to pay off, as in 2019, we reduced the overall CO2 emissions of our fleet by 6% compared to 2018.
Does the entry into the fleet of the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the first 23,000 TEU LNG-powered container ship, represent a real change in environmental matters?
This ship incorporates Rodolphe Saadé's approach: act without delay, while employing the best technology available. He chose LNG in 2017, but the project had started 7 years earlier. It was a bold and visionary choice since it involved not only developing an extraordinary vessel with a tank capable of storing more than 18,000 m3 of LNG, but also a whole supply chain that did not yet exist. The benefits in terms of air quality are significant, with a virtual disappearance of particulate matters (-91%), sulfur oxides emissions (-99%), and nitrogen oxides emissions (-92%).
LNG is still a fossil fuel, isn't it?
Yes, of course, and we are pursuing our efforts on various, more virtuous modes of power. LNG technology has many advantages; it is new technology and will benefit from numerous improvements that will further enhance its performance. It also opens the way to new fuels with little or no carbon content.
