ESG strategy and governance

We must take active responsibility for the society and environment we operate in. While this has always been our core belief, our understanding of what active responsibility constitutes has changed over time. And never more than in the last few years.

Evolving our strategic approach

Working actively and strategically with all aspects of corporate risk and responsibility is a baseline requirement from our customers, investors, employees, regulators, civil society and other stakeholders – and their expectations are converging. Maersk is simultaneously undergoing its own transformation: from conglomerate to end-to-end logistics provider, from fossil fuel follower to green industry leader, and from technological conservative to digital frontrunner.

We launched our ESG strategy in early 2022. Building on many years of sustainability progress, our strategy today charts an even more ambitious course: it establishes ESG as core to our purpose and intrinsic to our strategy and operations.

Defining and working with our strategic priorities

Our ESG strategy is centred around three core commitments. These encompass areas our Executive Leadership Team has determined as strategic priorities within the environment, social and governance dimensions. Supporting KPIs and targets represent issues where Maersk can create the most significant impact due to our position, size and reach. This also makes them critical to the success of our business strategy.

Our full ESG framework comprises 14 categories covering all of Maersk's material sustainability responsibilities, risks and opportunities.

Environment

Commitments:

We will take leadership in the decarbonisation of logistics

We will deliver on our customer commitment to decarbonise their supply chains in time and our societal commitment to act and have impact in this decade.

Strategic targets (all targets are for end of year):

2040:
- Net zero across the business
- 100% green solutions to customers

2030:
- Aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative 1.5°C pathway
- Industry-leading green customer offerings across the supply chain

ESG categories:

- Climate change
- Environment and ecosystems (incl. ship recyling)

Social

Commitments:

We will ensure that our people thrive at work by providing a safe and inspiring workplace

- We create an engaging environment for all colleagues
- We facilitate diversity of thought
- We ensure everyone gets home safe by preventing fatal and life-altering incidents

Strategic targets (all targets are for end of year):

2025:
Employee Engagement Survey score in the top quartile of global norm

2025:
>40% women in management and leadership
>30% diverse nationality (non-OECD) of executives

2023:
- 100% of Learning Teams completed following a High Potential Incident
- Global Leadership (Top 1,200) upskilled in Maersk safety and security principles

ESG categories:

- Employee relations and labour rights
- Safety and security
- Human capital
- Sustainable and inclusive trade
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Human rights

Governance

Commitments:

We operate based on responsible business practices

- We live our Code of Conduct
- We procure sustainably
- We protect and treat data with respect

Strategic targets (all targets are for end of year):

2023:
100% of employees (in scope) here trained in the Maersk Code of Conduct

2024:
100% of suppliers (in scope) here committed to the Supplier Code of Conduct

2023:
100% of employees (in scope) here trained on data ethics

ESG categories:

- Business ethics
- Governance
- Responsible tax
- Sustainable procurement
- Data ethics
- Citizenship

Our ESG governance framework

Overall governance of our ESG strategy is anchored in our Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership Team. Responsibility for actions across the 14 categories is anchored in line of business to ensure alignment with business priorities and a long-term focus on ESG. A sponsor from the Executive Leadership Team is assigned to each category.

Across categories, a central steering committee (SteerCo) representing key corporate functions ensures direction, coordination and ESG subject matter expertise. Underlining the commitment to our ESG strategy, the Board of Directors has committed to linking executive remuneration to key ESG targets from 2023.

Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership Team  of A.P Moller - Maersk
Maersk's Executive Leadership Team, 2023

ESG in our central governance framework

Several ESG topics related to compliance are integrated into Maersk's central governance framework, Commit, which consists of 35 internal governance rules determining the goals and boundaries for our actions. Each rule has a designated owner in the organisation who is responsible for compliance reporting to the Risk and Compliance Committee.

Executive oversight of compliance with Commit is anchored in this committee, where three members of the Executive Leadership Team meet quarterly. The expectations of all employees on ESG compliance are described in the A.P. Moller - Maersk Code of Conduct.

Get a full overview of our internal governance framework on page 14 of our Sustainability Report.

Driving progress on our ESG priorities

For each of the strategy's core commitments, we have established supporting commitments and targets which steer our activities and enable our stakeholders to measure and hold us accountable for our performance.

All 14 categories and relevant sub-categories covered by our ESG strategy have defined ambitions, KPIs and metrics for reporting. See how we are translating our commitments into action.

Evolving strategic approach

Sustainability Report 2022

Explore our progress on environmental, social and governance dimensions in our latest Sustainability Report.
Maersk sustainability report

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