The Global Ethanol Association (GEA) has officially launched as an independent, nonprofit international organization headquartered in Switzerland.
GEA’s mission is to unite resources and expertise, foster cross-sector collaboration, and strengthen the industry’s global voice to expand opportunities across emerging sectors while driving growth and innovation in established ethanol markets.
“The Global Ethanol Association represents a transformative step for ethanol as a strategic enabler of sustainable solutions across industries,” said Sylvain Zurcher, co-founder and president of GEA. “Our mission is to connect innovation with action, delivering tangible solutions that link industry ambition with real-world impact.”
The group’s first flagship program, the Marine Fuel Sector Initiative, is designed to accelerate ethanol’s role in cleaner shipping. By mobilizing suppliers, shipowners, and companies across the marine fuel value chain, GEA aims to stimulate market demand while ensuring reliable and scalable supply.
“By leveraging the capabilities of new multi-fuel marine engines, ethanol can be integrated into the low-emission marine fuel mix,” said Morten Jacobsen, co-founder and secretary general of GEA. “This future-proof approach offers shipowners and operators the flexibility to adapt to regional fuel availability, pricing, and sustainability goals. It is a step toward fuel security and emission resilience across global trade routes.”
GEA has welcomed engine technology company WinGD as a founding member.
“In our experience, collaboration is the key to accelerating the energy transition in shipping, so joining the Global Ethanol Association as a founding member was a clear decision,” said Dominik Schneiter, CEO of WinGD. “Our advanced multi-fuel engine technology enables shipowners to adopt ethanol as part of the sustainable fuel mix. By working with GEA, we are helping the shipping industry meet its decarbonization targets with solutions that combine flexibility, reliability, and sustainability.”