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SERIOUS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY With increasing stakeholder expectations and regulations, we’re at a pivotal point in the debate around sustainability, writes Richard Hepworth, president, Trelleborg Marine and Infrastructure Impending regulations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas Strategy 2050 continues to grow the conversation both in volume and reach, so do initiatives, such as the World Ports Sustainability Program and the Environmental Ship Index. As the events of 2020 took hold, the shipping and maritime industries faced a shift in focus to short-term viability, before bouncing back from Q4 onwards. With that, came a boom in shipping, resulting in more ships, more delays and more congestion. Nonetheless sustainability goals continue to be placed under the spotlight to ensure they stay on track amidst the fluctuation. New research, carried out by Trelleborg's marine and infrastructure operation, mid-pandemic, reveals how the maritime sector is responding and provides insights and analysis into the way ahead. THE VALUE OF SUSTAINABILITY It has become apparent that sustainability remains a key consideration for businesses. 82% of organisations surveyed in Trelleborg marine and infrastructure operation's recent 'Serious About Sustainability' Report, ranked sustainability as 'very important' to their business. When it came to setting performance targets, 37% of respondents cited using the United Nations Social Development Goals (UN SDG) to guide them. These focus on building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation.
Overall, there is a positive mindset within the industry and a recognition that sustainability is an opportunity. In fact, 76% of respondents have introduced new sustainability initiatives in the last three years, from developing sustainable products, to appointing a dedicated sustainability practice lead, for example. This marks a major industry shift and highlights a link between sustainability, operational efficiency and business success. However, there is still progress to be made. The 24% of respondents who claimed not to have adopted any new sustainable approaches could find themselves at a disadvantage commercially if they fail to adapt. The calls for environmental and sustainability criteria to be incorporated into procurement and commercial processes are increasingly important and necessary, as evidenced by both the industry's actions and customers' expectations. According to the ESPO Environmental Report for 2020, seven out of ten European ports take climate change into account when developing new infrastructure projects. Through the development of durable infrastructure, sustainability goals can be supported more practically and fundamentally. Trelleborg's report found that sustainability is considered key to long-term value creation
Photo: Trelleborg
Promoting sustainable infrastructure – both within the port environment and on-vessel – provides a number of benefits, such as increased port uptime
and reputation, as opposed to regulation, appears to be the major driving force for change. Of those surveyed, 81% prioritised sustainability as integral to the strategic approach of their business and 56% emphasized long-term value creation over short-term performance. This signifies that putting sustainability at the heart of operations is key to the success of those businesses. As a result, these corporations can more readily meet global challenges head-on and embrace opportunities for growth. Encouragingly, despite experiencing any of the global effects of COVID-19, 45% of respondents say they will press ahead and increase their focus on sustainability.
8 The industry sees sustainability as an opportunity
A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH While legislation has driven much of the change, larger forces are at play. The desire to pull ahead of the sustainability curve has revealed itself, as the reputation of a business emerged as the number one key sustainability driver. Following that, organisations felt that it was simply 'the right thing to do'.
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SUMMER 2021 | 19
