IMPAsave: A Simple Idea That Became a Global Maritime Movement
In an industry often challenged by complex environmental issues, sometimes the most powerful solutions begin with a simple question: Why are we still supplying millions of plastic water bottles to ships that are surrounded by water?
That question became the catalyst for IMPAsave.
What started in 2020 as a practical initiative to eliminate single-use plastic drinking water bottles onboard ships has grown into one of the maritime industry’s largest collaborative sustainability movements. Today, IMPAsave has evolved from a single environmental commitment into a platform for measurable change, bringing together shipowners, managers, suppliers, and procurement professionals around a common goal: delivering sustainability through practical action.
From Six Founding Companies to a Global Fleet
The IMPAsave journey began with a small group of industry leaders committed to reducing unnecessary plastic consumption onboard vessels. Over five years, that commitment gained momentum across the maritime sector.
Today, more than 9,000 ships and 100+ maritime companies have joined the initiative, making it one of the most widely adopted voluntary sustainability programmes in shipping.
This growth demonstrates something important: sustainability initiatives gain traction when they deliver tangible operational and financial value alongside environmental benefits. IMPAsave proved that environmental responsibility and business performance are not competing objectives. They can reinforce one another.
Delivering Measurable Results
Unlike many sustainability programmes that struggle to quantify impact, IMPAsave has consistently focused on measurable outcomes.
The collective results achieved by participating companies are significant:
- More than 200 million plastic water bottles removed from circulation annually.
- Approximately 50 tonnes of plastic waste eliminated every year.
- Around 37,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions avoided annually through reduced production, transportation, and disposal of plastic bottles.
- Approximately US$45 million in annual savings generated through lower procurement, logistics, storage, and waste-management costs.
Perhaps most importantly, these results have been achieved without requiring new fuels, major capital expenditure, or complex technology deployments. The initiative demonstrates the power of improving everyday procurement decisions at scale.
A Different Way of Thinking About Sustainability
One of IMPAsave’s greatest achievements has been changing the conversation around sustainability.
Rather than focusing on targets and reporting alone, IMPAsave has shown that operational improvements can simultaneously reduce costs, lower emissions, and eliminate waste. The initiative transformed sustainability from a compliance issue into a business opportunity.
Every participating ship demonstrates that a relatively small procurement decision can create measurable environmental and financial benefits year after year. This philosophy has helped make sustainability more accessible, practical, and commercially attractive across the maritime supply chain.
From Plastic Reduction to Scope 3 Leadership
As IMPAsave expanded, it revealed a much larger opportunity.
Measuring the lifecycle impact of plastic bottles highlighted the hidden emissions embedded throughout the maritime supply chain. This insight led to the creation of the IMPA Maritime Environmental Footprint (IMEF), a framework designed to provide a standardised and transparent approach to measuring Scope 3 emissions from maritime procurement activities.
What began as a plastic reduction initiative became the foundation for a much broader effort to improve emissions visibility, environmental reporting, and procurement decision-making across the industry.
Today, IMPAsave is no longer simply about plastic bottles. It is increasingly recognised as a platform that enables circularity, decarbonisation, and measurable environmental performance throughout the maritime supply chain.
The Untapped Opportunity
While the achievements to date are impressive, the biggest opportunity still lies ahead.
With more than 9,000 ships participating, IMPAsave has demonstrated that industry-wide collaboration can work. Yet only a portion of the global fleet has adopted the initiative. Full industry adoption could unlock an estimated US$275 million in annual savings, eliminate 31,900 tonnes of plastic waste, and reduce 24,000 million kilograms of CO₂ emissions.
And that is from addressing just one procurement item. So looking to close the gap of $230 Million on this single item.
Imagine the impact if the same collaborative model were applied across hundreds of products and services purchased by ships every day.
A Maritime Success Story
The story of IMPAsave is ultimately about more than bottles, waste, or carbon reductions.
It is proof that meaningful change can start with a single practical action. It demonstrates the power of collaboration across shipowners, suppliers, and procurement professionals. Most importantly, it shows that sustainability initiatives become truly successful when they create value for both business and society.
Five years ago, IMPAsave started with a simple commitment.
Today, it stands as a global example of how the maritime industry can deliver measurable environmental impact, operational efficiency, and financial savings through collective action. And the journey is only just beginning, more information on www.impasave.org.
Article by: Mikael J. Karlsson
