How inset credits can work alongside the IMO framework
A shipping value chain can keep decarbonising through voluntary co-investment, whether or not the IMO's Net-Zero Framework is adopted.
The IMO's Net-Zero Framework was pushed back in 2025, and there is no certainty about when it will be adopted. This diagram shows how a shipping value chain can keep decarbonising either way.
A vessel operator receives co-investment for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 reductions, from fuel suppliers and energy providers, in exchange for inset credits. Downstream partners such as ports, manufacturers and retailers do the same for their Scope 3 emissions. The resulting credits can then be traded or retired against net-zero goals.
If the IMO framework does arrive, its surplus and remedial units can sit alongside the same system. The voluntary market does not have to wait for regulation to move first.
Originally published on LinkedIn, 12 November 2025.
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