MOL Partners with Climate Tech Firm, 123Carbon to Complete Insetting Pilot Supporting customers\' Scope 3 reduction targets
TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) announced that it has completed an insetting pilot with 123Carbon B.V. (note 1) by tokenizing the GHG emission reductions from the Net Zero Voyage (note 2) which was conducted jointly with Methanex Corporation in February 2023. This allows MOL to allocate the GHG emission reductions from the use of biomethanol as a fuel to customers considering Scope 3 reductions from maritime transport services, based on the Market Based Measures Accounting Framework published by the Smart Freight Centre (note 3). MOL will build on this foundation to develop services to further help customers achieve their Scope 3 reduction targets.
MOL, with the cooperation of Methanex, underwent third-party verification of GHG emission reduction-related documents to confirm their accuracy and MOL’s ownership of the associated Scope 3 GHG reductions from the use of biomethanol as a fuel. The digital certificates issued after verification are managed by blockchain technology, recording the transaction history. Customers that have been allocated tokens can claim the GHG emission reductions and have access to the reduction-related data (vessel names, reduction methods, bunker date of low emission fuel, emission factors used in reduction calculations, name of third-party verifier, etc.) on the platform. These mechanisms, which 123Carbon provides the tools to ensure the reliability and transparency of the GHG emission reductions allocated to customers.
Christoph Wolff, Chief Executive Officer of Smart Freight Centre, commented: "This initiative is categorized to be carbon insetting, which promotes decarbonization within the supply chain. The Market Based Measures Accounting Framework provides a standard framework for companies to rely on when expanding their insetting programs, in response to growing demand for insetting in the transport sector, including shipping. MOL, which has one of the world's largest fleet, starting its carbon insetting initiative is a significant step forward towards achieving the net zero target in the shipping industry."
The MOL group has listed "Build Business Models that Enable Net Zero Emissions" as an action to realize Net Zero, in the "MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2." This initiative is one concrete example of this action. MOL will continue to partner with stakeholders, including customers, to meet their diversifying decarbonization needs and accelerate the realization of net zero targets.
(Note 1) 123Carbon (www.123carbon.com) is a globally operating company based in the Netherlands, providing an independent, blockchain-based carbon insetting platform for multimodal transport, based on globally accepted book and claim methodologies.
(Note 2) Please see below for MOL press releases related to Net Zero Voyage. "Methanex and MOL complete first-ever net-zero voyage fuelled by bio-methanol"
(Note 3) Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is a global non-profit organization for climate action in the freight sector.
