Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Hapag-Lloyd has both positive and negative engagement with climate policy in 2023-24. Hapag-Lloyd expresses positive top-line communications on climate change and supports a phase-out date for fossil-fuel powered ships, while supporting the continued use of liquid natural gas as a bridging fuel.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Hapag-Lloyd's corporate website, accessed in December 2024, supported GHG emissions reductions aligned with 1.5 degrees. The company’s 2023 Sustainability Report, published in March 2024, supported net-zero CO2 emissions from the global shipping industry by 2050. In the same report, Hapag-Lloyd supported global regulation enacted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in response to climate change and the goals of the Paris Agreement. Similarly, in a December 2023 joint statement, Hagag-Lloyd supported a global regulatory framework by the IMO by 2027 and a global carbon pricing mechanism for shipping.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Hapag-Lloyd broadly supported regional energy efficiency measures in its 2022 Sustainability Report, published in March 2023. In a January 2023 newsletter, Hapag-Lloyd supported the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator while emphasizing compliance concerns for smaller ships. In its 2023 Sustainability Report, published in March 2024, the company supported the IMO’s 2030 and 2040 GHG emissions reduction targets. In a December 2023 joint letter, Hapag-Lloyd also supported a global goal-based marine fuel GHG intensity standard while advocating for a flexible compliance mechanism for all ships.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In its 2023 Sustainability Report, Hapag-Lloyd supported using liquid natural gas (LNG) as a bridging fuel alongside transitioning to biological and synthetic methane in the medium term. In its 2022 Annual Report, released in March 203, the company supported the continued use of LNG without specifying timelines for a wider transition aligned with IPCC guidelines. In a February 2023 newsletter, Hapag-Lloyd supported a transition to alternative fuels including green ammonia and synthetic hydrogen in the long-term. Hapag-Lloyd further supported green methanol in an April 2024 press release.
In Hapag-Lloyd's 2023 Sustainability report, published in March 2024, CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, supported a phase-out date for new build ships operating solely on fossil fuels. This position was echoed in a December 2023 ‘Key Policy Pillars foe Decarbonization’ document and December 2023 press release. In a February 2024 press release, Jansen also supported a Green Balance Mechanism; a tax on fossil fuel powered ships which is reinvested to reduce the costs of green fuels.
Industry Association Governance: Hapag-Lloyd discloses a list of its memberships to industry associations in its 2023 Sustainability Report. Hapag-Lloyd has not published an audit of its alignment with its industry associations. The CEO, Rolf Habben Jansen, is one of the co-Chairs of the World Shipping Council and the company is a member of the European Chamber of Commerce in China, both of which have both positive and negative engagement on climate policy.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. * This summary was last updated in Q4 2024.*