Maersk's Logistics Trend Map charts 30 supply chain shifts operators need to track in 2026

Maersk has released its Logistics Trend Map, a structured research resource that identifies 30 global supply chain trends built from quantitative data and direct input from industry decision-makers. The publication, available through the company's Insights hub, is organized into five operational domains and is positioned explicitly as a tool for practitioners, not market observers.

The five domains are integrated logistics, digitalization, growth, sustainability, and resilience. Each carries its own body of research and is designed to surface actionable signals rather than broad predictions. For a VP of Operations or supply chain director mapping 2026 priorities, the structure offers a starting point for evaluating where network architecture, vendor relationships, or technology investments may need to shift.

Resilience and decarbonization are the pressure points

Maersk's framing around resilience is direct: disruptions, delays, and crises have exposed structural weaknesses across global networks, and the company argues that fortifying supply chains now is an operational necessity. The resilience category addresses how companies can build flexibility into sourcing, routing, and inventory without sacrificing efficiency.

Sustainability, meanwhile, is framed around decarbonization as a practical logistics challenge rather than a corporate commitment. Maersk positions the shift to lower-emission freight as something that changes how logistics actually operates at a process level, not just what companies report. That framing matters for procurement teams evaluating carrier contracts and fuel-type commitments in 2026.

Digitalization spans customer reach and internal operations

The digitalization pillar covers how companies are using digital tools both to expand commercial reach and to improve operational visibility. Maersk notes that digital integration is increasingly central to how logistics providers and shippers communicate and transact, pointing to platform connectivity and data-sharing as areas where investment decisions have near-term consequences.

Integrated logistics, as a concept, gets its own dedicated section. Maersk defines it as the condition where all components of a supply chain function in coordination, and frames that coordination as the foundation for both resilience and growth. The distinction from a disaggregated, multi-provider model is presented as a strategic choice operators are actively making.

How the trend map was built

The Trend Map combines what Maersk describes as robust data with first-hand perspectives from industry decision-makers. That methodology distinguishes it from analyst-driven reports and gives the findings grounding in how logistics professionals are actually perceiving and responding to market conditions. Thirty trends are catalogued in total, covering developments across all five categories.

The Insights hub also hosts the Beyond the Box podcast, which covers specific events and innovations in more episodic depth, and a newsletter that aggregates updates across all five categories. Together, these resources form Maersk's main channel for sharing operational intelligence with enterprise customers and prospects.

What this means for your team

• Benchmark your network's resilience posture against Maersk's 30-trend framework to identify gaps in routing flexibility or supplier diversification.
• Evaluate your carrier and 3PL contracts for decarbonization commitments: Maersk's sustainability framing signals that fuel-type and emissions reporting are becoming standard scope items.
• Audit digital integration with logistics providers, particularly around data visibility and platform connectivity, where Maersk identifies active investment pressure.
• Use the trend map's growth category to stress-test expansion plans against current logistics capacity constraints before committing to new market entries.