Washington, D.C., Aug. 4, 2026 – On September 1, 2026, after three years of incubation at the Aspen Institute, the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) will transition to become a program of the Center for Green Market Activation (GMA). With two completed tenders that delivered three new ultra-low-carbon fuel pathways into the maritime market and nearly 40 multi-year contracts to date, ZEMBA is focused on its next phase of scaling impact and expanding opportunities for companies to address Scope 3 transportation emissions.
“We are deeply grateful to the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program for its leadership and commitment to market-based sustainable solutions,” said Ingrid Irigoyen, President and CEO of ZEMBA. “The Institute’s support as an administrative home during our start-up phase was tremendously successful. Now, ZEMBA is ready for the next step in our evolution, which is why we are seizing the opportunity to create multiplier effects and efficiencies across a range of hard-to-abate sectors by joining an organization specifically created for that purpose.”
“We are proud of growing ZEMBA from an idea to a globally recognized initiative making real impact. The Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program has a 50+ year history of incubating big ideas and spinning them off as full-fledged programs like this. Going forward, we will continue to identify new ways to collaborate with ZEMBA and GMA to continue to accelerate change across the sector,” said Greg Gershuny, Vice President and Executive Director, Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program.
ZEMBA’s CEO and core procurement staff will transition to GMA to ensure continuity of program leadership and operations. In addition to having provided key technical support for ZEMBA since 2023, GMA is working to scale the adoption of low-carbon goods and services within a number of high-emitting industries such as aviation, trucking, cement and concrete, and chemicals. This transition will enable companies to participate in a coordinated suite of interventions across hard-to-abate sectors and transport modes, supported by shared infrastructure, consistent procurement approaches, and cross-sector learnings.
“The GMA team has supported the groundbreaking work of ZEMBA and the Aspen Institute since its inception, and we are thrilled to deepen that collaboration by bringing ZEMBA into the official GMA family for its next chapter of continued innovation,” said Kim Carnahan, President and CEO, GMA.
ZEMBA is developing new and cutting-edge ideas to scale impact, expand fuel and technology pathways, and engage a broader set of stakeholders worldwide. During this next phase of ZEMBA’s strategy, it is focused on continuing to drive innovation and economies of scale that enable deep decarbonization in maritime transport. ZEMBA looks forward to engaging stakeholders across the value chain in the coming months as it charts a course toward a sustainable future for ocean shipping.
For Media: Inquiries may be directed to the Center for Green Market Activation’s Communications Manager Alison Greene at alison.greene@gmacenter.org and the Aspen Institute’s Senior Media Relations Manager Eric Baker at Eric.Baker@aspeninstitute.org.
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ABOUT ZEMBA
The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) is a first-of-its-kind buyers group in the maritime sector working to accelerate the commercial deployment of clean energy-powered shipping, enable economies of scale, enable transformation across the maritime supply chain, and help freight buyers maximize their positive impact beyond what any one company could accomplish alone.
Technical and legal support is provided by several key partners. Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub is an independent, not-for-profit social purpose organization, working towards a vision of a safe, sustainable, and human-centric decarbonized shipping industry for the benefit of society. The law firm Pillsbury acts as legal counsel and provides procurement expertise.
The almost 50 current members of ZEMBA encourage additional companies to join us in sending a growing demand signal for scalable, sustainable shipping through ZEMBA’s collaborative procurements. Learn more at www.shipzemba.org.
ABOUT THE ASPEN INSTITUTE
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR GREEN MARKET ACTIVATION
The Center for Green Market Activation (GMA) is a US-based, globally focused non-profit. Through innovative procurement approaches and sector-specific buyers alliances, GMA catalyzes and scales the uptake of low-carbon goods and services within carbon-intensive industries including aviation, maritime, trucking, cement and concrete, and chemicals. With collective decades of experience in environmental markets and alternative fuels and materials, the GMA team works to standardize new, green markets and forges mutually beneficial partnerships between climate-focused companies, suppliers, and mission-aligned non-profit organizations to channel funding to critical climate technologies in pursuit of accelerated sectoral decarbonization. Learn more at gmacenter.org.
