ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES IN PORT OPERATIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL AND CANADIAN PORTS

Abstract

Port sustainability has become an essential part of many port authorities in recent decades. Many ports have pledged to improve sustainability and have adopted various initiatives to achieve this, but academic studies are lacking. To explore these port sustainability initiatives (PSIs), a desktop study using port websites was conducted. Analysis of 36 global ports’ initiatives provided a global overview of PSIs, and analysis of 18 Canadian major ports’ initiatives provided Canadian perspectives of PSIs. A port sustainability scale based on 25 pre-defined indicators was used to compare statistical differences in PSIs. Results indicate that European ports have made significant progress in adopting PSIs as compared to North American and Asia-Pacific ports. Global ports have adopted various approaches to be sustainable. Results of Canadian ports indicate that most participated in the Green Marine program, but less than half (seven of 18 ports) were proactively integrating sustainability into their operations.