Crowley Maritime Releases Inaugural Sustainability Report

Crowley has released its inaugural sustainability report to assess and establish a transparent reference point to measure progress toward its environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals to build a more sustainable tomorrow.

The report marks a key milestone in Crowley’s ambition to become the most sustainable and innovative maritime and logistics company in the Americas.

The report builds on Crowley’s recent announcement to achieve net-zero emissions using a science-based approach by 2050 and outlines the company’s strategy and impacts in its ESG activities. Priority areas include: adopting low- to zero-carbon fuels and supporting new energy development; increasing talent diversity, growth and retention; and supporting people and communities. 

“The needs of our planet and people are changing, and alongside our partners, we are working each day with customers to reduce the environmental footprint of their supply chain utilizing ocean transport, which continues to be the greenest way to transport goods,” said Tom Crowley, chairman and CEO. “We are proud of our accomplishments and initiatives captured in this first report, which will serve as the baseline against which we will measure our evolution for years to come. Our commitments are deliberately ambitious, and we are establishing partnerships and standards to ensure success – matching our commitments with measurable action and year-over-year progress.”

Highlights from the 2021 Sustainability Report, Bravely Advancing What’s Possible, include:

• Rigorous short- and long-term efforts to decarbonize operations. Crowley aims to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions across the entire business by more than 3.7 million metric tons per year, pursuing a path aligned with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• Investment in liquified natural gas (LNG) as a reliable and lower-emissions alternative to traditional fuels. Crowley has safely delivered 40 million gallons of LNG to support cleaner, more resilient energy throughout Puerto Rico and has invested in infrastructure on the island to enhance LNG availability for customers in the region. 
• Advancement of alternative power technology and vessels such as the fully electric, battery-powered tugboat eWolf — the first of its kind in the U.S. — and a public-private partnership to develop an offshore wind services terminal in Salem, Massachusetts. 
• Developing strategies to support more resilient supply chains, such as through near-shoring and “blue water highways” that serve communities with sustainable and efficient transportation on water and land.
• Enhancing Crowley’s commitment to diversity and equity in business through targets for 2030 to ensure 37 percent of suppliers are diverse and 27 percent of purchases come from small businesses. 
• Activation of the employee-led Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Action (IDEA) Council to drive a supportive and inclusive work environment. 
• Nearly $200,000 donated by employees to local organizations through the Crowley Cares Foundation and more than 530 volunteer hours completed by team members in the first six months of the program. 
• An endowment of $2.5 million to the University of North Florida for a new center of excellence that will grow a talent pipeline of leaders trained in transportation and logistics, including state-of-the-art data analytics and supply chain tools.

“We see tremendous opportunity to build a more sustainable maritime and logistics industry that makes not only the global supply chain, but also our world, more resilient,” said Crowley’s Alisa Praskovich, vice president of sustainability. “We have made progress over the last year to understand our impacts and set ambitious ESG goals, and are prepared to help lead our customers, and our industry, toward a lower-carbon future for all.” 

The report also includes information on Crowley’s public and private ESG partnerships, digital transformation and focused community efforts in the Caribbean and Central America.