By Maria Kalamatas – June 21, 2025
Location: Marseille, France
A partnership driven by pragmatism
This morning in Marseille, IKEA and CMA CGM quietly launched a project that could change how we think about sustainability at sea. The Swedish furniture brand and the French shipping group announced a pilot program using 100% biofuel-powered vessels for selected routes between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.
“This is not a PR campaign—it’s a test with real cargo, real schedules, and real accountability,” said Solveig Bergström, IKEA’s Global Sustainability Lead, during a press call.
The collaboration will initially cover weekly sailings from Rotterdam to Marseille and Barcelona, with expansion planned if the emissions data meet targets.
Cutting emissions without cutting reliability
Unlike past experiments in green shipping, this pilot isn’t symbolic. IKEA will route up to 15% of its European maritime volume through this corridor by the end of the year, representing thousands of TEUs.
CMA CGM has assigned three dual-fuel vessels to the operation, using a blend of second-generation biofuels derived from waste oils. The company claims the mix achieves up to 85% CO₂ reduction compared to conventional bunker fuel.
“What matters most is that the vessels stay on schedule,” said Jean-Luc Marot, CMA CGM’s route director for Western Europe. “Our clients don’t want climate excuses—they want climate solutions that work in real life.”
Supply chain data at the center of the test
Both companies will publish quarterly reports tracking emissions, fuel performance, and delivery consistency. IKEA says the initiative is part of its commitment to becoming climate-positive by 2030, which includes emissions not just from factories but also from transportation and packaging.
A dashboard shared with logistics partners will offer visibility into real-time carbon savings, vessel ETA forecasts, and fallback protocols in case of fuel supply disruption.
Beyond the headline: building a scalable model
The pilot is meant to serve as a testbed—not only for IKEA, but for other shippers considering alternative fuels. CMA CGM has invited two other major clients to observe the operations and is sharing anonymized performance data with academic partners in Sweden and France.
Still, challenges remain. Biofuel supply chains are not yet global, and scale remains a constraint.
“You can’t decarbonize a sector this large overnight,” Bergström added. “But if we wait for perfect solutions, we’ll miss the opportunity to make imperfect progress right now.”
Conclusion
In a world where green commitments are easy to announce but hard to implement, IKEA and CMA CGM are choosing a harder path: proving that lower-emission shipping can hold up under operational pressure. Their success—or failure—will likely shape the pace of adoption for the rest of the industry.
