Shipping firm's new containers help save tropical forests
Eco-containers with bamboo floors means less destruction of tropical trees




CMA CGM was the first shipping group to purchase containers with bamboo floors called bamboo eco-containers, as part of its commitment to environmental protection.

In 2005, the eco-container fleet totaled 400 TEUs. One year later, as a result of positive customer response and the strong technical performance of these containers, CMA CGM increased its fleet to 7,000 TEUs. The Group now has the pleasure to confirm the delivery of 30,000 additional TEUs, increasing its fleet to 37,000 TEUs.

“Expanding our eco-container fleet has a dual objective. First, we want to make use of modern eco-design ideas and limit the use of tropical wood because this resource is disappearing. We also want to improve the technical performance of our own containers to ensure that we provide customers with the service they expect,” declares Alexis Michel, senior VP of Container Logistics and a member of the company’s Environment Committee.


These efforts are all part of CMA CGM’s policy to protect the environment and already allowed to save almost 10,000 m3 of tropical wood, the company said.

A bamboo flooring eco-container is a container with a glue-laminated timber made of bamboo (70%) and pine wood (30%).

The conventional timber used (Apitong wood) is becoming a rare wood that grows in tropical forests of South-East Asia. In order to be sure they do not participate in world deforestation, says CMA CGM, they looked for a sustainable alternative.

For more information on these containers, visit CMA CGM’s environmental site at:
www.cma-cgm.com/environment