First sustainability report for Antwerp
Antwerp: Using sustainability as a competitive edge
The Port of Antwerp has released its first sustainability report – part of its “Total Plan for a More Competitive Port”, first launched in 2010 in response to the global financial crisis.
Antwerp Port Authority is keenly aware that sustainability may well become the new competitive advantage of the port – sustainability is of course being increasingly sought in a wider social and economic context.
Annik Dirkx, Antwerp Port Authority spokesperson, said to GreenPort: "The economic growth of the harbour can only be achieved in a sustainable context in terms of care for the surroundings, " she added: "The APA wants to see care for the environment evolve from being a potential obstacle to economic expansion to becoming a strong asset that gives the harbour community a competitive advantage."
The APA envisages a clean harbour where the quality of air, water and soil is safeguarded, where the waste flows are controlled, where nuisance for the surroundings is limited as much as possible and where space is used in a well-structured, high-quality and efficient way - and it's using the new report to create a benchmark for the vision.
This initial report already shows that arrangements for disposal of ships’ waste in Antwerp serves as an example of "best practice" for other European ports.
It also shows that Antwerp is moving slowly away from road transport in favour of more environmentally friendly modes – which now account for less than 50% of all freight movements.
This new sustainability report will be produced bi-annually from now on, in order to provide a framework for measurement.
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