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Shipping and the UN SDGs
CategoriesSustainable News

Shipping and the UN SDGs

By Zarkon Group,

In March 2021, the global supply chain faced a crippling blockage. One of the largest vessels in the world, a container ship called the Ever Given, had become lodged in the Suez Canal after struggling through high winds and a dust storm. The resultant disruption to shipping lanes backed up hundreds of cargo ships and laid bare the importance of shipping for the world economy.

Shipping is the overwhelming method of transport for global trade as it is far cheaper than air freight, albeit slower. In fact, the OECD reports that around 90 per cent of traded goods are carried over the waves. And maritime trade volumes are set to triple by 2050.

Sea freight has less of an environmental impact than transporting cargo via aeroplanes. Aeroplanes emit 500 grammes of carbon dioxide per metric tonne of freight per kilometre of transportation, while transport ships emit only 10 to 40 grammes. Nonetheless, shipping faces a key sustainability challenge: its reliance on low-quality petroleum-based bunker fuel. This results in emissions of both CO2 and harmful air pollutants. Add to this the more localised impact of water, acoustic, and oil pollution, and it is clear that change is required in the industry as humanity tackles the existential issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Despite the challenges, the shipping industry can play an important role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And maritime innovators around the world are showing how this is possible.

SDG 14 Life under water

The SDG that shipping has the most obvious role to play in delivering is SDG 14, which calls for action to preserve life under water. The marine environment is under threat from a range of human activities from overfishing to the introduction of invasive species. But one key issue is plastic pollution, with an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean each year.

Ships are responsible for a proportion of marine plastic litter, but the vast majority of ocean plastic actually originates on land. And the shipping industry can play a positive role in tackling the problem. For example, technology group Wärtsilä and shipping company Grimaldi Group, have developed a microplastic filtration system for ships. The new filter makes use of the open-loop scrubber system installed on most ocean-going vessels. Elsewhere, shipping giant Maersk is lending ships to environmental non-profit the Ocean Cleanup. This organisation uses giant floating barriers to tackle the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy

Fossil fuels remain the primary energy source for the shipping industry. In fact, shipping uses four million barrels of oil per day, equivalent to four per cent of global oil production. Decarbonising ship propulsion is a challenge, and the International Chamber of Shipping acknowledges that alternative fuels are not currently available at the scale required for widespread decarbonisation.

Nonetheless, innovators in the industry are busy exploring alternative energy sources. Montreal-based global shipowner The CSL Group, for example, recently completed the world’s longest-running trials of B100 biodiesel on marine engines. And, in terms of the industry’s land-based operations, Ports of Stockholm has announced plans to install hydrogen fuelling stations for its trucking vehicles by 2025. Longer-term, maritime shipping startup Fleetzero is developing smaller, electric-powered ships that use a battery-swapping system to improve efficiency. Hydrogen and ammonia are also being considered as potential fuels for powering shipping vessels.

SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth

The shipping industry is a major source of employment and an important contributor to GDP across the globe. In fact, there are estimated to be 1,647,500 seafarers serving on internationally trading merchant ships.

Innovators are working to maximise the industry’s economic contribution by making it more efficient. For example, predictive intelligence startup Windward is developing technology to better analyse shipping data in order to reduce financial risk on the high seas. And Omani startup Cubex global has developed a blockchain-enabled marketplace to optimise empty cargo space.

SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

SDG 9 calls for innovation to develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient transborder infrastructure to support economic development. In the case of shipping, this comes in the form of solutions that optimise trade routes and technology to streamline the running of ships themselves.

Logistics technology firm Portcast is using AI-powered predictive analysis to save shippers and customers money by shortening trips and reducing emissions. Meanwhile, Dutch maritime company Port Liner is providing us with a glimpse of the future of shipping with all-electric, fully autonomous cargo barges designed for the popular Rotterdam-Antwerp-Duisburg shipping corridor.

SDG 13: Climate action

Shipping accounts for 2.5 per cent of CO2 emissions, so decarbonising maritime trade will be important as countries aim to reach net zero. As discussed above, one of the biggest challenges is weaning the industry of its reliance on fossil fuels as an energy source. But beyond, alternative fuels and batteries, innovators are exploring other ways to reduce the impact of shipping on the climate.

French company Airseas has developed a parafoil sail—known as the Seawing—that is designed to be installed on cargo ships to reduce fuel consumption. The 500-square-metre Seawing is designed to deploy automatically, rising up above the ship’s deck to grab the steady, strong winds at heights of 200 metres above sea level. Elsewhere, US startup Carbon Ridge has developed technology to capture CO2 emissions from ship engines and store them in solid form, preventing them from entering the atmosphere.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

Want to know more about a specific SDG? Why not download our full SDG report published with our partner edie.

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Food and the UN SDGs
CategoriesSustainable News

Food and the UN SDGs

By Zarkon Group,

At the heart of all our hopes for future development is a simple equation. According to the United Nations, the world will need 70 per cent more food by 2050 to feed a population of nearly 10 million. To do this, we will need to improve agricultural yields while simultaneously tackling climate change, a thorny issue as food production accounts for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The food industry faces both immediate and slow-burning challenges. In the short term, the war in Ukraine has exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains, while highlighting the link between energy and food prices. But over the long term, food production also needs to use less land and become less water-intensive and wasteful. And our reliance on synthetic fertiliser, produced through the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, is further driving fossil fuel consumption while causing damaging nutrient pollution. Finding new, smarter ways to fertilise crops is therefore vital.

In many ways, the question of food is key to the achievement of all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. And while the challenges are great, innovators around the world are showing that progress is possible.

SDG 2: Zero hunger

The most obvious SDG relevant to the food industry is SDG 2, which calls for zero hunger. Across the globe, there are 3.1 billion people who can’t afford a healthy, nutritious diet, and one of the key targets within SDG 2 is to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. To solve this problem, we need to identify those who are undernourished. And here innovators can help. For example, Action Against Hunger has developed the SAM app, which uses images to identify those suffering from acute or chronic malnutrition.  

The next step is to treat people. Fortifying food with micro-nutrients is a common solution, and innovators are working to make food fortification more efficient. For example, social enterprise Sanku has developed smart technology that helps small-scale maize millers fortify their flour without passing costs on to consumers. And it’s not only in developing countries where there is a need to tackle malnutrition. Even in the most developed countries, malnutrition is a common condition in hospitals. Startup HealthLeap has developed an AI-powered clinical assistant to tackle this issue.

SDG 1: No poverty

Hunger and poverty are closely linked. Most obviously, those with little money, have little money to spend on food. But the link also exists on the supply side. Small farmers form a large bulk of the people most affected by poverty. According to a World Bank study, 65 per cent of poor working adults make a living through agriculture, and the organisation believes that farming innovation is one of the surest ways to alleviate poverty.

Innovators are rising to the challenge. In Nigeria, ThriveAgric is using software and hands-on assistance to help small farmers earn top dollar for their produce. And in Brazil, TerraMagna is using fintech to help smallholders access affordable credit to invest in their farms. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, Wavemaker is making it easier for agricultural producers to turn biomass into higher-value products – all while helping to fight climate change.

SDG 15: Life on land

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. As we work to feed a growing population, it is vital that we ensure that we are not doing so at the expense of natural ecosystems.

In broad terms, innovators are taking two approaches to this issue. One approach is to reduce the amount of land used for agriculture. For example, New York-based UpFarm plans to add the world’s largest vertical farm to its network in 2023. The new facility will conserve more than 120 acres of land on an annual basis. Meanwhile, others are working to make farmland more compatible with nature. For example, researchers in Germany have found that fields planted in strips of different crops support insects and birds better than conventional farming methods. Meanwhile, in Canada, Bee Vectoring Technologies is reducing the need for harmful chemicals by using bees to deliver organic fungicide as they pollinate.

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

Agriculture has a big impact on the availability of clean water in two ways. First, traditional agriculture is water intensive with agricultural irrigation accounting for 70 per cent of water use worldwide. And second, fertilisers, pesticides, and salts from agriculture end up in watercourses leading to water pollution.

Innovators are tackling the first problem through solutions such as solar-powered water pumps that enable farmers to increase their crop yields while using less water, and quick-growing cultured meat that uses only a tiny fraction of the water used in animal husbandry. And to tackle water pollution caused by fertilisers, microTERRA is creating food additives out of an aquatic plant that doesn’t require fertiliser at all: duckweed. Meanwhile, another company, Wyvern, is using satellite technology to help farmers use fewer chemicals, and a solar-powered weed-seeking robot is reducing the amount of chemicals needed to manage weeds.

SDG 12: Responsible production and consumption

Food waste is a huge issue, with one-third of food produced for human consumption lost or wasted globally. It is therefore little wonder that target 12.3 within SDG 12 calls for food waste to be halved by 2030. In the Netherlands, Orbisk is tackling the issue with a system that uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to help commercial kitchens manage food waste. And another AI system from Neolithics checks food for signs of rot, helping to reduce the amount of food that is lost before it even reaches the shelves.

Another way of approaching this problem is to find uses for food that does end up as waste. UK startup LyteGro, for example, uses waste bananas as a growth enhancer that turbo-charges fermentation in food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical processes. Meanwhile, a team of Japanese researchers has discovered a way to use vegetable scraps, such as cabbage leaves and orange peels to create cement.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

Looking for inspiration on sustainability? Why not download our free SDG report.

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Fashion and the UN SDGs
CategoriesSustainable News

Fashion and the UN SDGs

By Zarkon Group,

The clothes we wear have an enormous impact on the planet. The entire fashion supply chain is estimated to contribute 8 to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and fashion is the second most water-intensive industry on earth, consuming roughly 79 billion cubic metres of water per year. Fashion also faces social problems such as modern slavery, due to its long supply chains over which brands do not have full control.

These challenges have caused some to question whether fashion can ever be sustainable. But every individual person can make a difference through their choices, and consumers are increasingly acting as a driver of change. According to one survey, 57 per cent of consumers have made significant changes to their lifestyles to lessen their environmental impact. And innovators are finding ingenious solutions that meet their changing demands.

Springwise has spotted fashion innovations that not only improve the sustainability of fashion in a narrow sense, but contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) more broadly. Fashion, like many industries, needs to change (and fast) if these goals are to be met. But innovators are inspiring hope that the necessary changes are not only possible but beneficial.

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

One of the most important SDGs for the fashion industry is SDG 12, which calls for the decoupling of economic growth from increasing resource consumption. Fashion uses 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources each year, and only 12 per cent of the material used in clothing is currently recycled. There is therefore a clear need to move towards more circular practices in the industry, which will require the input of both consumers and manufacturers. Innovators are facilitating this process.

On the manufacturer’s side, Italian luxury fabric company Manteco is transforming pre-consumer scraps, post-consumer garments and, industrial waste into soft, durable and sustainably coloured yarns and fabrics. Meanwhile, B2B matchmaking platform Uptrade pairs those wishing to buy fabric with textile manufacturers and fashion labels that have excess fabric in their inventories. On the consumer side, fashion brand Samsøe Samsøe is stitching ‘Resell Tags’ into its garments. These contain a QR code that, when scanned, automatically generates a resale advert for Facebook and Instagram marketplaces.

SDG 14: Life below water

You may not immediately draw a link between your favourite coat and the sea’s riches, but several innovators are exploring how fashion can be used as a tool to promote marine biodiversity. Meanwhile, others are working to minimise the impact of fashion waste on life beneath the waves.

Florida-based startup Inversa is making an alternative leather out of lionfish – an invasive species that threatens the health of Florida’s coral reefs. Elsewhere, Canada’s Lezé the Label is making comfortable officewear from another threat to marine eco-systems: discarded fishing nets. Ocean plastic is yet another problem with one study calculating that there are 24 trillion microplastic particles in the world’s seas. It is therefore important that fashion brands avoid plastic where they can, and German startup LOVR has developed a completely plastic-free alternative to animal leather. 

SDG 10: Reduced inequality

Efforts to increase the positive impact of fashion are not limited to the materials and processes used to make clothing and accessories. Fashion can also be an effective tool for tackling social issues. 

SDG 10 promotes social, economic, and political inclusion regardless of factors such as race and ethnicity, and several fashion innovators are working towards this goal. UK-based Yard + Parish is promoting black-owned luxury fashion brands through curated offerings of fashion, beauty, wellness, and homeware products. And, in the US, e-commerce platform Black Owned Everything is both a marketplace and media culture hub that empowers a diverse community of creators.

SDG 5: Gender equality

The power of fashion to promote social change also extends to gender equality. SDG 5 stresses the need to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. To this end, Danish startup Shift has developed connected jewellery that doubles as a personal safety device. 

Economic empowerment of women is another focus of SDG 5. Social enterprise Alsama Studio employs female refugee artisans to embroider old clothes, turning them into exciting new looks. The income the women earn through their studio work is often the only funds available to their families. And in Malaysia, accessory brand Earth Heir works closely with refugees and local artisans to help develop their businesses. Women make up the majority of the artisans worldwide, as well as 60-70 per cent of people living in poverty.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals

Partnerships between the public and private sector, large and small businesses, and academic institutions, NGOs, and corporations are crucial for delivering on all of the SDGs, as is highlighted in SDG 17. And the fashion industry provides some excellent examples of partnership in action.

Ice cream brand Magnum is is at the start of a new long-term partnership focused on circularity with the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour. The partnership’s goal is to use cocoa waste products as a reliable, circular source of material for the fashion industry. Another project brings together 12 partners including research institutes, agricultural associations, SMEs, and large enterprises to turn food waste into bioplastic for cosmetics. And, in New Zealand, a group of like-minded organisation is exploring ways to pool resources in order to provide local cotton recycling technologies.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

Looking for inspiration on sustainability? Why not visit our SDG hub page for more articles on green innovation that matters.

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