Edinburgh, Dubai and Kula Lumpar, 16th February 2026 H2C, the global attribute market platform for low-carbon fuels, today announced a research collaboration with Heriot-Watt University, a leading international university with a long-established reputation in engineering, energy systems, and applied industrial research.

Large companies depend on maritime transport to move goods around the world but have few credible ways to deal with the resulting Scope 3 emissions. While carbon offsetting remains widely used, it is increasingly criticised for failing to demonstrate a clear link between corporate action and real emission reductions. As scrutiny of Scope 3 claims grows, companies are under pressure to move beyond offsets and show that their spending leads to emissions being eliminated, not just balanced on paper.

H2C, the global attribute market for low-carbon maritime fuels, and Heriot-Watt University have launched a new research partnership aimed at addressing this gap. The project focuses on how cargo owners and other buyers can credibly eliminate Scope 3 emissions from shipping by directly financing the use of low-carbon fuels, and how those actions can be recognised within carbon accounting, regulatory, and trade frameworks.

Funded by Interface, the research will develop a rigorous causal framework for H2C’s Green Premium Certificates (GPC3s). These certificates are designed to represent emissions that are physically eliminated at sea when vessels switch to low-carbon fuels, and to prove that those fuel switches occurred because a buyer chose to pay for them, rather than through indirect or offset-based mechanisms.

“Green shipping has largely failed cargo owners and shipping companies to date because it lands as a higher logistics cost without a clear, recognised impact on carbon accounting,” said Peter Ellen, CEO of H2C. “In many cases it has been easier to pollute and offset than to pay for genuine fuel switching. At the same time, low‑carbon fuel producers struggle to monetise the premium value of their fuels. Our goal is to unify these requirements into a single market framework, and we are confident that the research partnership with Heriot‑Watt will support this.”

The research programme will result in a set of market rules that define when and how GPC3’s can be issued, verified, transferred, and retired. These rules are intended to protect the premium causal value of GPC3s and to clearly separate them from pollute-and-offset instruments that dominate today’s voluntary carbon markets.

The research program is led by Professor Dimitris Christopoulos and Professor Bing Xu.

Professor Dimitris Christopoulos commented: “One of the central challenges in Scope 3 accounting is the absence of credible causality between corporate action and physical emissions outcomes. This research is focused on closing that gap by developing rules that are academically robust, operationally practical, and capable of distinguishing genuine emissions elimination in maritime transport from instruments that merely displace carbon on paper.”

Unlike offsets, GPC3s are designed to be grounded in physical reality. They are issued only when low-carbon fuel is actually used, verified through independent assurance, and linked to the financing decisions that made that fuel switch possible. The research will formalise these principles into a framework suitable for real-world market adoption.

For Heriot-Watt University, the project represents an opportunity to apply academic expertise in energy systems, climate accounting, and market design to a live industrial challenge. For H2C, it provides the independent foundation needed to embed causality and additionality directly into the market rules governing global trade in low-carbon maritime fuels.

The findings will be incorporated into the H2C Market Rule Book, creating one of the first operational frameworks globally for causal Scope 3 emissions elimination in shipping.

As regulatory pressure increases and corporate climate targets tighten, the partners believe the ability to demonstrate real, attributable emissions elimination will become essential, not optional. This research is intended to ensure that capital flowing into maritime decarbonisation delivers measurable impact, not just improved reporting.

H2C invites shipping companies, cargo owners, fuel producers, regulators and standards bodies with an interest in Scope 3 emissions elimination to engage with the programme. Organisations interested in participating in the research dialogue or future market development are encouraged to contact info@h2c.org.

About H2C

H2C is an international market enabling the decarbonisation of global supply chains through the use of Green Premium Certificates (GPCs). These are unitised certificates that verify the origin and environmental attributes of low-carbon fuels, including green ammonia, e-fuels and advanced biofuels. Founded with support from Lloyds Register, H2C was created to accelerate investment into clean fuels by unbundling environmental claims from fuel molecules.

These fuels, produced using renewable energy, biogenic inputs or captured carbon, offer viable and scalable alternatives to fossil fuels in sectors such as shipping, aviation, heavy industry and logistics. Green hydrogen and its derivatives are zero-carbon at the point of use. E-fuels deliver synthetic hydrocarbons with closed-loop carbon cycles, and biofuels provide renewable, drop-in solutions with certified lifecycle emission reductions.

In today’s market, only a small fraction of green fuel producers have secured offtakers due to the high cost premiums over fossil-based alternatives and the lack of a viable spot market for their fuels. H2C addresses this constraint by allowing multiple downstream actors, from logistics providers and port authorities to industrial users, consumer brands and retailers, to finance green premiums and make verified Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions claims.

By separating the purchase of GPCs from physical fuel transactions, H2C enables greater market participation, improves liquidity and drives final investment decisions in production. The platform is interoperable with multiple international standards and offers a scalable solution for compliance with emerging regulatory regimes such as FuelEU Maritime and the IMO’s lifecycle-based fuel measures.

About Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University is a leading international university with a long-established reputation in engineering, energy systems, and applied industrial research. Founded in 1821, the University has played a significant role in supporting the evolution of global energy sectors, including oil and gas, offshore engineering, renewables, and increasingly hydrogen, low-carbon fuels, and energy transition technologies.

Heriot-Watt is widely recognised for its close collaboration with industry, translating academic research into practical solutions for complex real world challenges. Its research strengths span energy systems modelling, carbon management, industrial decarbonisation, and climate policy, with particular expertise in sectors where emissions are hard to abate.

The University operates a truly global campus network, with major campuses in the UK, Dubai, and Malaysia, and an international footprint that supports research and education aligned with global supply chains and energy markets. This international presence enables Heriot Watt to engage directly with industry, governments, and institutions across key energy and maritime hubs worldwide.

Press Contact

For H2C:
Peter Ellen, CEO
info@h2c.org
www.h2c.org

For Heriot-Watt University:
Holly Sinclair

Marketing Officer (iNetZ+)

Global Research Innovation Discovery (GRID) Building 

Heriot-Watt University

Edinburgh, EH14 4AS
Holly.Sinclair@hw.ac.uk
https://www.hw.ac.uk/

DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION

.