(California) -- The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program offers companies the opportunity to join the Brand Ambassador team of sustainable shippers. It’s an initiative from the voluntary California-based Vessel Speed Reduction program to continue to reduce the environmental impacts of maritime shipping along the West Coast.

Being a Brand Ambassador is an easy way to help reduce ship strikes to endangered whales, air pollution, and regional greenhouse gas emissions while highlighting a company's commitment to sustainable shipping. There’s no cost, and it does not require any changes to the shipping schedule.

Historically, brands that rely on ocean freight have little information about the regional environmental impacts of the ships carrying their products. The Brand Ambassador Initiative addresses this knowledge gap by providing brands with data pertaining to vessel speeds and the resulting environmental benefits as they transit along the California coast. 

Just like cars, vessels traveling at reduced speeds are more efficient, emitting fewer greenhouse gasses and harmful air pollutants. Slower vessels also reduce ocean noise and the risk of fatal ship strikes, which threaten whales globally and especially endangered blue, fin, and humpback whales in California waters. 

The Blue Whales and Blue Skies program works closely with ship operators along the California coast where reduced speed efforts are most impactful, thereby maximizing environmental benefits with minimal impacts on shipping schedules. Despite unprecedented global supply chain challenges, in 2021 vessels in the Blue Whales and Blue Skies program on average reduced speeds for approximately 60% of their voyages, indicating vessel operators' continued commitment to ship more sustainably.

Through the Brand Ambassador Initiative, brands interested in reducing the impact of their global supply chain receive data on the reduced speed efforts of their shipping companies and the resulting decrease in air pollutants, greenhouse gasses, ship strikes and ocean noise. This information can then be used to inform consumers purchasing their products and help these brands make more sustainable shipping choices.

Cargo owners that have joined the Brand Ambassador Initiative come from different industries, united by their commitment to protecting natural resources. For example, Nomad, a consumer electronics and lifestyle products company; Summit Coffee Roasting Company, a subsidiary of Summit Coffee; and Peak Designs, a gear and accessories company, are all Brand Ambassadors. Recent additions to the Ambassador initiative are Who Gives a Crap, an eco-friendly toilet paper company, and Port of Hueneme, a Port Ambassador and commercial seaport located on the Central Coast of California.

Together these five Ambassadors ship with twelve different shipping companies in the Blue Whales and Blue Skies program. In 2021 these twelve shipping companies voluntarily reduced their speeds for over 151,000 miles, resulting in an estimated 20,000 ton reduction in regional greenhouse gas emissions.

“Through this partnership, we remain committed to exclusively booking freight companies that participate in vessel speed reduction,” said Scott Beatty, Nomad Procurement Manager. “Our hope is that this regional initiative will develop at a global scale. We strongly encourage other companies that ship along the California coast to become ambassadors, raise awareness, and encourage their freight companies to participate in the program," he said.

“Our coffee roasting business has a larger impact than anything else we do, so being intentional about every aspect of our roasting is imperative,” said Brett Dioguardi, Director of Sustainability and Supply Chain for Summit Coffee. “Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies is a great example and opportunity for us to help share the great work being done, and to encourage other companies to get involved too."

“Being a brand ambassador was a no-brainer for us: it’s a low lift opportunity for brands to grow awareness and concretely move the dial in shaping freight industry practices,” said Annie Nyborg, Sustainability Director at Peak Design. “Joining the initiative costs nothing aside from using our voices to advocate for more sustainable transportation. It's something all responsible brands should join.”

To get involved, interested brands should visit www.bluewhalesblueskies.org/cargo or contact [email protected]. Enrollment is free, does not require any changes to your shipping schedule, and takes just a few minutes. 

“Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies” program is a collaborative effort by Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District; Ventura County Air Pollution Control District; Bay Area Air Quality Management District; Channel Islands, Cordell Bank, and Greater Farallones national marine sanctuaries; The Volgenau Foundation; California Marine Sanctuary Foundation; National Marine Sanctuary Foundation; Greater Farallones Association; Environmental Defense Center; Point Blue Conservation Science; Starcrest Consulting; and Scripps Whale Acoustic Laboratory/Scripps Institution of Oceanography