Achieving net-zero emissions in Shipping: The critical role of environmental awareness and managerial commitment

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set an ambitious goal to decarbonize the shipping industry by 2050. Although previous studies have suggested several short-term and long-term strategies to achieve this goal, human factors and their role in achieving the goal have remained under-researched. This study examines how the environmental awareness of top-level executives of shipping companies influences their preparedness toward net-zero emissions with the mediating effect of their environmental commitment. Based on several theories, this study has developed a framework and adopted the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for analyzing data from 153 respondents to examine and validate the framework. The findings reveal that increased environmental awareness directly enhances organizational preparedness for achieving net-zero emission goals, highlighting the necessity for targeted education and training on environmental sustainability. The study also confirms the significant mediating effect of environmental commitment in this relationship, i.e., enhancing awareness boosts environmental commitment which subsequently facilitates the preparedness of shipping companies to achieve net-zero emission goals. Along with noteworthy implications for policymakers and industry leaders, the study provides a robust theoretical framework contributing to the global discourse on achieving a sustainable future for the shipping industry. • Environmental awareness of managers boosts shipping companies' net-zero emission preparedness. • Environmental commitment mediates the relationship between awareness and preparedness. • Targeted education enhances management's dedication to sustainable shipping practices. • PLS-SEM validates the model with data from 153 shipping managers. • Study offers actionable insights for both policymakers and industry leaders.