Sustainability Reporting Standards in the Shipping Industry
Heinänen, Anu (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025102326357
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025102326357
Tiivistelmä
This thesis is about the Sustainability reporting standards in the Shipping Industry, and it concentrates on the EU’s 2025 ESRS standards, specifically ESRS E1, E3 and E4. Chosen standards focus on the environmental aspect of Corporate’s Sustainability Reporting. ESRS E1 concerns Climate change, ESRS 3 standard concerns Water and Marine resources and ESRS E4 standard, Biodiversity and Ecosystems with emphasis only on the preserving and protecting the biodiversity of oceans part of the standard.
The author has chosen case companies to be the four biggest global, but EU based, container shipping lines CMA-CGM, Hapag Lloyd, Maersk and MSC. The author evaluates these companies’ CRS reports against the standards. Chosen method is qualitative research which is conducted via data analysis. While writing this thesis EU released an Omnibus package giving third wave companies two-year postponement, until 2027, for the mandatory reporting under ESRS and EU taxonomy. This Omnibus package including the ‘Stop the Clock’ initiative will not be included in this thesis.
Result of the thesis is that the reporting methods differ between the case companies, thus making it difficult to compare them in reliable way, but the main aspects of the chosen standards were reported in all reports. After the Omnibus package and industry specific standards are released, their reports will most likely be more cohesive in their content and data presentation.
The author has chosen case companies to be the four biggest global, but EU based, container shipping lines CMA-CGM, Hapag Lloyd, Maersk and MSC. The author evaluates these companies’ CRS reports against the standards. Chosen method is qualitative research which is conducted via data analysis. While writing this thesis EU released an Omnibus package giving third wave companies two-year postponement, until 2027, for the mandatory reporting under ESRS and EU taxonomy. This Omnibus package including the ‘Stop the Clock’ initiative will not be included in this thesis.
Result of the thesis is that the reporting methods differ between the case companies, thus making it difficult to compare them in reliable way, but the main aspects of the chosen standards were reported in all reports. After the Omnibus package and industry specific standards are released, their reports will most likely be more cohesive in their content and data presentation.