CMA CGM and the French Ministry of the Ecological Transition organizу World Conservation Congress in Marseille
The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, reaffirms its determination to tackle environmental issues and protect biodiversity by partnering with the French Ministry of the Ecological Transition for the organization of the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Marseille from September 3 to 11, 2021, according to the company's release.
This partnership falls within the framework of the concrete and pioneering measures taken by the Group in Marseille and its region, including in particular a large-scale multi-year partnership with the Calanques national park that aims to protect and enhance the area’s exceptional landscapes.
100% of carbon emissions related to organizing the World Conservation Congress compensated by CMA CGM Through this partnership with the World Conservation Congress, the CMA CGM Group reasserts its determination to take action for the protection of biodiversity and natural environments, as well as its commitment to Marseille and its surrounding region, where the Group’s head office has been based since it was founded in 1978. With this unprecedented partnership, the CMA CGM Group will offset 100% of carbon emissions related to organizing the Congress, representing around 10,000 tons. Compensation will account for emissions caused by participants’ transportation, accommodation as well as waste treatment, among other sources.
These emissions will be offset by investing in projects that have been preselected by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition and EcoAct, one of the world leaders in combating climate change and an accredited specialist in carbon offsetting.
Marseille to host the World Conservation Congress, a global forum for protecting biodiversity Marseille, the home of the CMA CGM Group, hosts the 2021 World Conservation Congress from September 3 to 11, 2021. Organized every 4 years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Conservation Congress is the main global forum for conservation, bringing together thousands of representatives of governments, businesses, public bodies, NGOs, the world of science and local authorities. The 2021 congress is a key steppingstone in promoting conservation and implementing a new global framework for biodiversity.
Protecting the environment and biodiversity is central to the CMA CGM Group’s strategy Protecting the environment and biodiversity is at the heart of the strategic vision adopted by the CMA CGM Group under the leadership of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rodolphe Saadé. The CMA CGM Group’s new signature, BETTER WAYS, reflects this commitment to more responsible and efficient logistics and transportation solutions. In Marseille and around the world, the Group is taking concrete and pioneering measures to protect biodiversity:
In 2019, Rodolphe Saadé made a commitment that none of the Group’s vessels would use the Northern Sea Route in order to protect the Arctic’s fragile ecosystems.
In 2020, the CMA CGM Group launched Reef Recovery, a vast regeneration program for coral reefs with an initial project on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, in partnership with the Reef Restoration Foundation.
The CMA CGM Group initiated a global reforestation initiative with the planting of 110,000 trees, one for each of the Group’s employees—in 12 countries under local agroforestry programs that aim to regenerate nature and support the development of local populations.
On the East/West coast of the United States and Canada, CMA CGM’s ships bring their speed down to 10 knots when passing through breeding grounds for whales and marine mammals to avoid the risk of collision, both on a regulatory and on a voluntary basis. The Group has been awarded by the port of Long Beach for reducing the speed of its container vessels with a compliance rate of close to 100%.
CMA CGM also uses REPCET, a collaborative system based on the density of the network created by navigation. Through a digitalized network, REPCET allows ships to receive and transmit real-time alerts about the positions of whales. It also contributes to research into these animals as while being used, the on shore system records the positions of cetaceans sent by ships using the system, and automatically associates them with meteorological data. The database created is made available to the scientific community. Tested at the sanctuaries of PELAGOS (Mediterranean) and AGOA (French West Indies), the system can be used where collisions are a recognized problem (North Atlantic, Japan, Gibraltar, etc.).
The Group is a member of the European LIFE-PIAQUO consortium, that brings together major shipping industry and European research institutes partners. Its aim is to develop and test various tools to reduce the noise of shipping traffic and its impact on aquatic biodiversity.
