engleski

Going Green: The Effects of Decarbonization on Container-Shipping Companies' Competitiveness

While decarbonization is still far from being implemented across all industries, maritime shipping companies are the most likely to have made the leap towards its adoption, as they are the backbone of international trade. There is a great deal of interest in research circles on topics related to decarbonization, its implementation, and the impact on businesses and the economy. According to the Web of Science (2022) database, more than 40 research papers on decarbonization in the maritime industry were published from 2019 to 2022 alone. However, given the increasing importance of decarbonization, especially in light of ongoing economic shocks such as the post-COVID-19 era, high energy prices, European energy dependence, etc., there is a significant gap in the literature addressing the actual identification of the impact of decarbonization in the maritime industry, the necessary processes of its implementation, and best practices. Therefore, in this paper, both the opportunities and challenges were identified to answer the biggest question—how to remain competitive and market-relevant while adapting to the new environmental conditions. Theoretical and applied factors were analyzed and discussed with the aim of identifying the benefits of implementing an environmentally sustainable business model and its impact on shipping companies. Although the research was largely based on a case study with limited information details obtained through Internet research and the interview with A.P. Moller-Maersk employees, the results are encouraging and show the desired outcome—an overview of an adapted sustainable business model in relation to environmental regulations and market demands. In addition, the results of the analysis indicate that reducing greenhouse gasses is a challenge for the container-shipping industry and the competitiveness of shipping companies, but the right business model will allow them to remain competitive in the market. We also concluded that the concept of green and sustainable logistics is already being implemented due to the greenhouse gas regulation declared by IMO. Although there is a significant cost associated with future expansion, the benefits of doing so are far greater from a business-parameter perspective. Internal green practices increase the competitiveness of companies by enabling them to provide a contemporary sustainable end-to-end logistics service at the highest level of customer satisfaction and internal effectiveness. As detailed company reports and financial statements are required for a full analysis of competitiveness, this data is for internal use only, so understanding the full cost-effective background of the decarbonization journey could be challenging, but the general summary and basic initiatives can be easily outlined.

maritime transportation ; container carriers ; decarbonisation ; GHG emissions ; IMO ; green logistics ; environmental sustainability

nije evidentirano