Maersk — the world’s largest container shipping company — has an astonishing goal. By 2050, the company vows to send goods around the world with zero carbon emissions.

The environmental logic behind such a promise is straightforward: Shipping contributes substantially to global climate change. But the business case is not as obvious as it will cost Maersk billions to develop new technologies while competing in a crowded, competitive market against rivals who aren’t bearing that burden. So why do it?

According to the head of fleet technology at Maersk, the company wants to “accelerate the development of solutions” rather than “just sitting on the fence and waiting for somebody to do something.” On top of that, they intend to show that it is business viable to go carbon neutral. It’s easy to make a promise decades in the future, but by all accounts, Maersk is serious about its commitment. The company already has cut emissions substantially, at the cost of $1 billion so far. And it has an intermediate goal to cut emissions by 60% (relative to 2008 levels) by 2030. 

Obviously getting to zero emissions by 2050 is highly ambitious, but Maersk has a three-option plan on top of the money their setting down for new solutions to help them reach their goal.

First, the company believes companies that pay to ship goods will be interested in supporting and promoting a zero-carbon system. Maersk is already marketing a carbon-neutral option, using biofuels, to clients such as H&M.

The second option is to reduce the expense involved in these alternatives to fossil fuels. The idea is that while it’s very hard to beat oil on price, the technology of the future could change the math considerably.

Then there’s the third possibility: Coordinated, global government action. Say that within the next couple of decades, the world agrees to fight climate change with serious regulations and places heavy fees on the burning of fossil fuels. If that happens, a company that starts going carbon neutral now will be ahead of the game, while its competitors struggle to adapt. Long story short, by going carbon-neutral, Maersk looks to stay one step ahead of its competitors.