MarineShift360 has announced results from its recently-concluded Impact Accelerator programme, including the outcomes of BAR Technologies’ lifecycle assessment of its WindWings system.
The study confirms that WindWings achieves a carbon payback in under six months, said to set a new benchmark for transparency and lifecycle performance in the maritime sector. BAR Technologies completed the 10-month Impact Accelerator programme, which applies advanced lifecycle assessment (LCA) to drive sustainability in marine design and supply chains.
The analysis demonstrates that the WindWings system, which is already reducing fuel consumption by an average of 1.5t per wing per day, hence cutting CO2 emissions by 4.7t daily on global shipping routes, offsets its embedded carbon emissions in operational use in less than half a year.
This result is considered to challenge long-held industry assumptions about the carbon cost of maritime innovation. By quantifying the true environmental return on investment, BAR Technologies believes it is providing shipowners, regulators, and investors with verified data to support rapid decarbonisation.
John Cooper, CEO BAR Technologies, said: “This is a landmark moment for commercial wind propulsion. To demonstrate a sub-six-month carbon payback shows that WindWings is not only delivering immediate environmental benefit but is a commercially ready solution that meets the industry’s urgent decarbonisation needs.”
Will Hopes, Simulation and Performance Engineer, BAR Technologies, added: “Seeing the payback come out in months has validated our design approach. WindWings are designed to decarbonise shipping as quickly as possible, and the study shows that this is what they are doing. LCA is a core part of every design review, not a separate consideration.”
Ollie Taylor, Director of Marine Futures, said: “These results show what is possible when organisations commit to fully understanding their impact. LCA gives leaders the data to make better decisions and the confidence to scale those decisions across fleets, supply chains and product lines. As a first year, these results are incredibly encouraging and show what the Impact Accelerator was created to do, which is to catalyse change across our industry.”
The LCA, conducted in line with ISO 14044 standards, revealed that metalwork contributes the largest share of embedded emissions (44%), prompting BAR Technologies to pivot procurement towards recycled-content DH32 steel produced via Electric Arc Furnace processes. Additional carbon reductions are being achieved by increasing tooling utilisation and revising composite layups.
Cooper said: “This wasn’t just a validation exercise, it enhanced engineering reviews, procurement decisions, and customer conversations. We have embedded carbon literacy across every function, because sustainable performance must be measurable, verifiable, and repeatable.”
The findings are considered to have reinforced BAR Technologies’ design approach in all areas – not just WindWings but other future innovations in the maritime world: applying carbon payback as a critical design metric alongside physical and financial performance. By leading with transparency, BAR Technologies believes it is setting a new industry standard and calling on peers to follow suit.
As decarbonisation becomes a defining challenge for commercial shipping, BAR Technologies is urging the maritime sector to shift from assumption to evidence. The LCA results from WindWings are seen as proof that credible, verifiable sustainability is achievable today. The company wants to encourage other innovators and marine stakeholders to take part in the next MarineShift360 Impact Accelerator and drive change with the same transparency and urgency.
Image: Carbon payback from WindWings (source: BAR Technologies)
