As a business, we want to do all we can to protect our planet. But how to avoid the carbon emissions created by shipping goods across the world? It’s a dilemma for all importers.

Shared Earth has become the first importer in the UK gift, fashion and homeware sector to decarbonise its shipping, by changing from fossil fuels to biofuels. In January 2021, our whole supply chain (air, road and sea), became 100% carbon-neutral, resulting in CO2 emissions of ZERO!

Globally, transport accounts for 15% of all CO2 emissions today, a figure which could be as much as 60% by 2050. 90% of the products we buy in the UK – food, clothing, furniture – arrive here by ship. And the maritime industry burns the dirtiest fuel in the world. It’s time to clean the decks…

We are working with GoodShipping, a sustainability pioneer in the Netherlands, and switching from fossil fuels to biofuels. These biofuels are made from waste. They don’t compete with food production, nor do they involve any change in land use, deforestation or loss of biodiversity. Fantastic! - when we heard of GoodShipping, we jumped straight on board! They work on the ‘mass balance’ principle, whereby the volume of biofuel that will neutralize our emissions is fuelled into another ship that would otherwise have run on fossil fuels. As all CO2 from shipping is emitted into the same atmosphere, reducing these emissions is equally effective, regardless of which ship uses the biofuels. This approach allows for immediate impact, whilst having the same net effect in reducing global emissions and averting climate change.

We’re also extending this approach so it covers the journeys by truck from our producers to their overseas port, and deliveries from our warehouse to our customers and shops in the UK.

With weather patterns changing, floods, fires and droughts on the up, the world faces potential disaster. We still have time to prevent this catastrophe, however. But we need to act now! Businesses can play a huge part in reducing carbon emissions, saving our oceans and our wildlife. What type of products are we selling? Are raw materials sustainable? Are fossil fuels a significant factor in production, packaging and transportation? Shared Earth is already a UK leader in supplying low or zero carbon recycled and sustainable products. Now, their transport will be completely carbon-free too.

Demand for products which will help slow global warming is increasing rapidly; they’re all the rage today. Ironically, businesses which ditch the traditional business mantra of ‘growth, growth, growth’, and opt for sustainability instead, tend to increase their sales, as concern about these issues grows. Public support for tackling climate change is at its highest ever.

If we don’t act on climate change, will future generations be asking, “why didn’t you act while you had the chance?” Or will history thank us for what we did to save the world? Shared Earth is delighted to be a trailblazer in the UK in what we hope will become the norm as a way of providing carbon-free products to retailers. Jump on board with us! This approach could transform our industry.