Have your say – Consultation on new BIMCO ESG metrics guidance

BIMCO invites members to review new draft ESG metrics guidance

Shipping companies face a wide range of ESG reporting expectations. Some are required to report under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and are already subject to extensive data point requirements, while others operate under different national ESG reporting regimes outside Europe. In addition, many smaller shipping companies engage voluntarily with ESG disclosure initiatives or are increasingly required to respond to diverse ESG data requests from business counterparties.

Existing ESG standards and reporting frameworks are largely designed for broad applicability across industries. As a result, shipping companies often face challenges in applying metrics and concepts that are rooted in land-based sectors. At the same time, the few existing sector-specific ESG standards and guidance documents for shipping typically focus on specific sustainability issues and therefore capture only a fraction of the industry’s overall complexity. This leaves shipping companies to interpret various ESG standards and translate them into metrics that are meaningful in an international shipping context.

To help make the use of ESG metrics more practical for the global shipping industry, BIMCO has developed a Guidance on best practice for ESG metrics in relation to shipping. BIMCO is now inviting members to review the draft guidance before it is finalised.

The guidance is intended to provide practical, shipping‑specific metrics that can help structure ESG discussions and data requests in a way that reflects maritime operations, regardless of whether a company is subject to mandatory reporting requirements, engages with ESG disclosure initiatives on a voluntary basis, or is requested to provide ESG data to business counterparties. 

For companies reporting under CSRD, the guidance may still be useful, for example as a reference point when translating ESRS disclosure requirements into a shipping‑specific context, in the absence of a shipping‑sector‑specific standard.

What is the BIMCO Guidance?

The guidance sets out a collection of practical, shipping‑specific ESG metrics. It is not a standard and does not advocate mandatory application of any metrics. Rather, it reflects existing best practice and is based on a review of applicable shipping regulations and sustainability reports published by shipping companies globally.

To the greatest extent possible, the guidance does not repeat metrics from existing ESG standards. Instead, it proposes sector‑specific metrics for shipping that can be used together with generic, sector‑agnostic ESG standards.

The guidance is intended to support, for example:

• Internal benchmarking to enhance environmental, safety and operational performance 
• Consistent information-sharing with customers and business partners
• Counterparty evaluation, including assessment of safety practices and risk management approaches.

If you are a BIMCO member and would like to take part in the review, please contact us at hsse@bimco.org and we will share the draft guidance will be shared with them.

The consultation closes on Friday 1 May 2026.