Procurement teams in shipping now have a standardised reference point for cutting unnecessary plastic use before it enters vessel operations, with the Maritime Association for Clean Seas (MACS) launching its first set of procurement guides. Developed by MACS' Sustainable Plastic Procurement Working Group, the toolkit is intended to give owners, managers, suppliers and ports a more consistent approach to reducing plastics in line with the International Maritime Organization's marine litter goals, according to MACS.
What the procurement toolkit contains
According to Splash247, the first publications include:
- A working group report
- A maritime plastics taxonomy
- Phase-out pathways for priority plastics
- A decision-support framework for assessing lower-plastic alternatives
The guides are designed to support procurement discussions, supplier engagement and internal decision-making, while creating more standardised demand for alternative products and packaging across the maritime supply chain, MACS said.
The industry problems the guides are built to address
MACS said the work addresses three recurring industry problems:
| Recurring industry problem |
|---|
| Inconsistent terminology |
| Practical concerns over the safety, cost and availability of alternatives |
| Fragmented demands placed on suppliers by different shipping companies |
That last point is central for procurement teams. Berge Bulk's head of sustainability and communications, Michael Blanding, said inconsistent signals to suppliers remained one of the biggest obstacles to turning plastic reduction targets into practical action, according to Splash247. Standardising the language and the expectations that buyers put on suppliers is a direct answer to that fragmentation.
"The most sustainable plastic is the plastic that is never used," said MACS director Oliver Kade. "These guides provide the industry with a clear framework for collaborative action."
Who developed the guidance
According to Splash247, the initiative follows working group meetings and a roundtable involving 53 participants from 28 organisations. Named organisations include Berge Bulk, Pacific International Lines, X-Press Feeders, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, DP World, Britoil and Howden. MACS is also opening the process beyond that core group, inviting feedback from shipowners, managers, suppliers, ports, caterers, logistics providers and industry bodies before the final versions are issued.
Public consultation and timeline
The public consultation runs until August 16, according to Splash247, and the final versions will be issued after feedback is reviewed. This is the first of several MACS working groups focused on plastics. MACS was established to help maritime companies work collectively towards the IMO's 2030 action plan on plastic marine litter, the group said.
What this means for your procurement team
The toolkit is built around the purchasing decision, not just the waste disposal decision. Because it addresses safety, cost and availability concerns, the decision-support framework gives buyers a structured way to evaluate lower-plastic alternatives instead of rejecting them on one-off commercial grounds. The maritime plastics taxonomy gives procurement teams a common vocabulary to use across suppliers, and the phase-out pathways give suppliers a clearer view of where demand is heading.
For procurement leaders, the immediate decision is whether to engage with the consultation before August 16. MACS has explicitly invited shipowners, managers, suppliers, ports, caterers, logistics providers and industry bodies to respond, meaning the people who handle day-to-day purchasing, supplier engagement and internal decision-making can shape the final guidance before it is issued. The programme's stated purpose is to create more standardised demand for alternative products and packaging across the maritime supply chain, and the consultation is the point where that standard is still open for revision.
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