Global ocean-based shipping company Norden announced the completion of a new pilot transaction with Microsoft, marking the first delivery of verified emissions reduction by a maritime carrier through the RSB Book & Claim Registry.

Launched in 2022 by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) with an initial focus on aviation, the RSB Book & Claim system was created to help manage and monitor a book and claim system to expand the ability of companies to access sustainable fuels for hard to abate sectors. Book & Claim allows companies to purchase verified emissions reductions linked to sustainable fuels, regardless of where those fuels are consumed.

The new transaction follows the launch of a pilot by Microsoft and Norden last year to help the tech giant reduce its maritime supply chain emissions through Norden’s biofuel voyage and Book and Claim solution, with the companies engaging with RSB to update its book and claim system to enable credible tracking of sustainable maritime fuel claims. The pilot targeted the reduction of Microsoft’s maritime Scope 3 emissions by nearly 10,000 tonnes of CO2e over a three year period.

Norden said that it aims to scale the solution with the goal of making verified emissions reductions a standard offering in ocean transport. The company added that the solution will enable its direct customers and clients in other industries which are dependent on marine transportation and seeking to decarbonize their supply chains to credibly invest in maritime decarbonization.

Norden said that in order to enable the transaction, the company became the first maritime operator to obtain RSB Book & Claim trader certification, a prerequisite for issuing and selling verified emissions reductions through the RSB’s Book & Claim registry. The certification was developed in close collaboration with RSB, which extended its existing aviation framework to cover maritime transport and carriers.

Anne Jensen, COO at Norden, said:

“For many companies, some of the most difficult emissions to address are those embedded deep within global supply chains, where they often have little visibility or direct influence over how goods are transported. This transaction demonstrates how Book & Claim can help bridge that gap. By enabling companies to invest in verified emissions reductions from maritime transport, regardless of where the fuel is used or where they sit in the value chain, we can help accelerate decarbonisation across industries.”

Microsoft is the first company globally to use Book & Claim for shipping emissions through the RSB registry, forming part of its broader efforts to address value chain emissions, the companies said.

Bella Horstmann, Senior Manager, Market Development, Microsoft, said:

“Decarbonising supply chains requires solutions that are both credible and scalable. This collaboration with NORDEN and RSB shows how Book & Claim can help accelerate progress in sectors where change is otherwise complex and demonstrates that companies don’t need to wait to start reducing their shipping emissions in a verified and meaningful way.”