Better Health for All

Maersk's Pharma Cold Chain Management (P-CCM) earned GDP certification, ensuring safe and high-quality distribution of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.

The company's Quality Management System for P-CCM complies with EU GDP requirements, and it uses remote container management and digital monitoring to minimize risks of temperature deviations and safeguard cargo integrity. However, Maersk reported 9 fatalities in 2022, with 6 involving third parties, and a lost-time injury frequency rate of 0.90. The company partners with IDA Foundation to deliver medicines and medical supplies to low- and middle-income countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maersk Bridge operation delivered almost 22 million masks, protective clothing, and face shields to healthcare workers in Denmark, and shipped over six million medical masks from China. Maersk provides in-transit container visibility (location, temperature, humidity) on the Captain Peter platform, personalized notifications, 24/7 chat support, and datalog availability after journeys. The company reports on GHG emissions (scope 1, 2, and 3) and efforts to decarbonize operations and supply chains, including working with Novo Nordisk to lower emissions. Maersk has a data ethics policy and training program, and provides dedicated training and periodic reviews for personnel handling pharma and healthcare products.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

A.P. Møller-Mærsk A/S is primarily a shipping and logistics company, and its core business does not involve offering lending or deposit services to consumers. Consequently, most KPIs related to financial products, fees, and customer financial outcomes are not applicable. The company does not provide consumer credit products, nor does it generate or manage customer finance data. However, Maersk partners with ITC SheTrades to support women-owned SMEs through a coaching program.

A 2022 impact survey of this program found that 90% of women entrepreneurs reported improved business operations to respond to COVID-19 challenges, enhanced exports to new international markets, and job creation. This demonstrates a direct positive impact on wealth-building outcomes for a specific group of users.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Maersk Line Limited (MLL) was found by the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA to have violated the federal Seaman’s Protection Act.

This violation stemmed from MLL's policy requiring employees to notify the company before contacting federal agencies, which led to the suspension and termination of a seaman who reported safety concerns in December 2020. MLL was ordered to pay over $707,000 in back wages, interest, compensatory, and punitive damages, and agreed to revise its whistleblower policy to allow direct reporting to federal agencies. The settlement agreement was dated July 15, 2024.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

In 2024, 87% of suppliers signed and committed to the Supplier Code of Conduct.

This code was updated in 2024 to reflect the evolving regulatory landscape, including the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. In 2023, 95% of suppliers committed to the Supplier Code of Conduct, which was a decrease from 96% in 2022. The company aims for over 85% of Tier 1 high-risk suppliers to undergo ESG assessments by 2024, and over 80% of high-risk category suppliers to have improvement plans successfully closed by 2024. In 2023, 71% of strategic suppliers underwent ESG assessments, down from 77% in 2022. The company reported 99% completion of Sustainable Procurement training in 2024 for procurement staff.

Kind to Animals

Maersk is a signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration (March 2016) and the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, which outlines a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal wildlife trade.

This demonstrates public endorsement of specific animal welfare reforms.

No War, No Weapons

Maersk earns DKK 36.3 million annually per ship from the Maritime Security Program (MSP) for transporting US military equipment, generating DKK 4.1 billion over the past five years.

While this is revenue from defense-adjacent services, the percentage of total company revenue is not specified. Maersk ships transported military equipment to Israel 43 times during the Gaza war, with approximately 1,000 shipments of goods made to the Israeli military through the port of Algeciras since a Spanish embargo announcement, potentially violating that policy. Spain turned away a ship with weapons bound for Israel in May. Maersk states a policy of not shipping weapons or ammunition to active conflict zones, including Israel and Gaza, and does not ship to countries subject to an arms embargo. The company exited Russia and Belarus due to the war in Ukraine and complies with international sanctions. Maersk supported humanitarian efforts in Ukraine with in-kind logistics assistance, but no specific revenue proportion for peacebuilding is provided. Maersk is committed to respecting human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and OECD guidelines. However, it is alleged to be potentially failing to comply with UNGPs by transporting weapons parts to Israel, and has not responded to inquiries regarding human rights due diligence for these shipments. The company's Code of Conduct training completion rate was 83% in 2022, targeting 100% in 2023. Maersk has a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunitions into any active conflict zone, including Israel and Gaza, and transports F-35 parts between participating countries, including Israel, under a US Security Cooperation Program.

Planet-Friendly Business

The company's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG emissions were 83,602,000 tCO₂e in 2024, an increase from 77,717,000 tCO₂e in 2023.

Its 2030 and 2040 climate targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. In 2022, 22.7% of the company's energy was sourced from renewables, with a target to reach 100% by 2030. In 2022, 7.1% of capital expenditure was taxonomy-aligned. In 2005, the company was sentenced to pay a $500,000 fine for falsifying an oil record book and violating the MARPOL Treaty. The net-zero target year is 2040. The company's Green Financing Framework aligns with TCFD recommendations, and it conducts climate-related scenario analysis including a 1.5°C scenario, Hot House World (>3 degrees), Orderly Transition (below 2 degrees), and Disorderly Transition (below 2 degrees). In 2022, approximately 2.13 million m³ of water consumption occurred in High and Very High water stress zones. The company is committed to ensuring a just transition that improves lives and benefits society, supporting seafarers with reskilling/upskilling for green fuels. It is intensifying its biodiversity focus with a project to quantify biodiversity loss and takes a strong global stand against illegal timber. The company aims for >85% of strategic suppliers to undergo ESG assessments by 2024.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company experienced a major cyberattack (NotPetya) in June 2017, affecting 45,000 PCs and 4,000 servers, with an estimated cost of $250-300 million.

Recovery took close to two months. Following this incident, Maersk was heralded as the 'Gold Standard' for incident response. No significant data breaches have been documented in the past three years. The company has a Data Ethics Policy and 'stringent AI principles' with 'rigorous oversight and governance structures' to monitor AI deployment and usage, including continuous testing and validation for bias. Users can request information on automated decision-making methodology and verification of correct, unbiased decisions. Maersk implements security in accordance with industry practices, maintaining organizational, physical, and technical arrangements, and evaluates security measures on an ongoing basis. Its pre-2017 cyber posture was 'basically average'. The company holds several certifications including SOC 2 Type II, ISO27001:2022 (for Maersk Contract Logistics Asia), Cyber Essentials Plus, AEO in 25 countries, C-TPAT, SWIFT CSP, TAPA, TISAX, JOSCAR, and Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) approved by an EU authority. Encrypted data communications are used for sensitive personal data transfers. Users have strong control over their data, with rights to access, rectify, object, erase, restrict use, and portability, and can withdraw consent at any time. However, MFA is available for less than 20% of services, and critical vulnerabilities are patched within 21-30 days on average. Suppliers are required to provide annual security awareness training to all employees and contractors. Security testing includes annual SOC 2 Type II audits by an external auditor and annual testing of business continuity plans by suppliers. Data minimization practices include sharing personal data only when relevant and necessary, and limiting cardholder data exposure through third-party processors. The company demonstrates strong compliance with GDPR through BCR, ICS2, AEO, PCI DSS, SWIFT CSP, C-TPAT, and local data privacy laws.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Maersk implemented a global program to manage waste more responsibly, but total waste generation increased from 357,252 tonnes in 2021 to 459,877 tonnes in 2022.

A global waste audit is planned for 2023. The company focused on rolling out the definition of chemical spills across the organization in 2022. Maersk aims to eliminate certain waste streams and improve waste management practices in 2023. The company has global waste management requirements for its growing landside footprint.