Sustainable ocean freight gains momentum as Kuehne + Nagel, 7 others forgo Arctic shipping

Eight companies signed the Ocean Conservancy's Arctic Shipping Pledge last week, promising to forgo shipping goods via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) out of concern for the environment. The new signatories are Allbirds, Artizia, Bureo, Hudson Shipping Lines, International Direct Packaging, Kuehne + Nagel, Puma and Ralph Lauren. They join ocean carriers including CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC; and retailers including Asos, H&M and Nike that signed on shortly after the pledge launched in 2019. The NSR between Europe and Asia is becoming increasingly navigable as polar ice melts due to climate change. Using the "short cut" can cut transit time by nearly 40% compared to traditional routes such as the Suez Canal.