The Book and Claim Community is pushing forward its efforts to decarbonize complex global supply chains by welcoming new members to its Governing Board. This strategic expansion includes notable additions like Meta, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), NORDEN, and UPS, who join original founding members such as Amazon, Deloitte Global, DHL Group, Microsoft, Shell, and World Energy. These new members, alongside strategic partners such as the Center for Green Market Activation, ISCC, and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), aim to accelerate the development of credible systems for reducing carbon emissions across industries like maritime, aviation, and trucking.
As decarbonization becomes a pressing priority for global companies, the voluntary book and claim model is gaining traction as a vital tool. Companies are increasingly collaborating through this chain of custody system to create real, measurable reductions in carbon emissions. Over the past year, pilot programs in aviation and maritime shipping have matured into fully-fledged systems, with many companies now publicly investing in low-emission fuels and services through the book and claim mechanism.
NORDEN, one of the new board members, expressed optimism about its role in the growing community. Representatives from the company, including Louise Dobler and William Boatwright, will help guide the development of these systems, ensuring that carbon insetting becomes an integral part of global supply chains. As NORDEN highlighted, this is an opportunity to shape the future of low-carbon fuels and ensure that the right framework is in place for a robust, industry-wide book and claim ecosystem.
This momentum is reinforced by other key players. DHL Group has voiced its commitment to further strengthening these systems, stating that collaboration with carriers, forwarders, and shippers is crucial to decarbonizing logistics. The consensus among members is clear: the only way forward is through shared principles, common frameworks, and systems that deliver genuine, verifiable emissions reductions.
As Smart Freight Centre and RMI continue their work as co-chairs of the Book and Claim Secretariat, they are ensuring that this multi-stakeholder collaboration remains aligned with key decarbonization goals. Their joint efforts have already attracted more than 260 organizations, with many signing on to support newly published principles and best practices for book and claim systems in heavy transport.
Industry leaders, such as Shell and MOL, also acknowledge the transformative potential of book and claim. They argue that transparent, widely accepted systems will encourage investment in low-carbon fuels, particularly in sectors like maritime shipping, which are notoriously difficult to decarbonize. MOL’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Tatsuro Watanabe, emphasized the significance of these tools in enabling first movers to introduce decarbonized fuels into their supply chains, offering opportunities for companies eager to lead the charge.
The Book and Claim Community’s ongoing work is pivotal in setting the stage for broader, sector-wide efforts. By aligning various stakeholders and ensuring credibility in decarbonization reporting, the community continues to play a central role in addressing the transportation sector’s steep emissions reduction challenge.
