About coZEV

Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) is a platform for corporate customers of the shipping industry to work collaboratively to accelerate the transition to zero-emission (ZE) maritime shipping.

By working together through coZEV, companies who use maritime shipping services (cargo owners) can help develop solutions that work for the planet and for business, communicate with a shared voice on ambition level and policy issues, and demonstrate concrete action to lower their supply chain (Scope 3) emissions while influencing the pace of the ZE market development.

coZEV Vision

Our vision is an international maritime shipping sector that:

Offers economically viable maritime freight services powered by zero-emission shipping fuels and technologies at sufficient scale to allow cargo owners to decarbonize their maritime freight by 2040
Is aligned with Paris Agreement climate goals, which means that greenhouse gas emissions are virtually eliminated for the entire sector by 2050 at the latest

coZEV Mission

The mission of the coZEV initiative is to provide opportunities for cargo owner companies to collaboratively lead, innovate, and set a high level of ambition toward decarbonization of the maritime sector. In order to accomplish this, coZEV provides a nimble, ambitious, and action-focused platform for climate-forward companies to work with one another — and others in the maritime shipping supply chain — to undertake concrete initiatives that accelerate the pace of shipping decarbonization, bring zero-emission fuel and technology solutions to scale, and harness collective cargo owner voice to send demand signals for zero-emission solutions to the shipping value chain and policymakers. Through engagement in coZEV, cargo owners help shape the zero-emission shipping transition in order to achieve their ambitious climate goals and meet the logistical needs of their global businesses.

coZEV Origin

Since 2020, the Aspen Institute Energy & Environment Program has been focused on catalyzing private sector leadership and driving policy change to enable full decarbonization of the maritime sector by 2050 at the latest. Our work has prioritized providing a space for “impossible” dialogues to thrive, encouraging leaders across industries and sectors to recast what they think is achievable in terms of how policy, economics, technology, and above all, relationships can be brought to bear to build a sustainable, ZE maritime future. With this focus, Aspen worked in collaboration with and input from a network of cargo owner companies to develop coZEV, Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels, a platform specifically designed for climate-leading customers of the shipping industry where cargo owners can come together to undertake high impact initiatives that accelerate the transition to ZE maritime shipping.