Diving deep into the “E” of ESG – exploring the financial landscape of container shipping companies.

Sammanfattning: The ocean economy is growing unprecedentedly, and container shipping is one of the key sectors at the heart of this growth. Shipping companies are among the largest ocean-based companies, and while they are committed to reducing their emissions, the sector remains plagued with many sustainability challenges. This thesis employs a mixed-methods approach to delve into the financial landscape of container shipping and examine the “E” of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) that defines the sector's sustainability dimensions. It starts by highlighting the potential of financiers to incentivise companies toward ocean sustainability, and then through interviews with bank personnel provides insight into their motivations, challenges, risk perceptions, and sustainable lending processes. The results attempt to align actors' motivations along stewardship principles of care, knowledge, and agency. However, the findings reveal that reputational pressures serve as primary drivers of action. Unexpectedly, investor pressure on banks emerges as a promising leverage point. The discussion section of the thesis offers insights on the path to achieving sustainable shipping. It highlights the importance of co-creating solutions across the entire value chain as the banking sector's involvement in container shipping continues to grow.