Thousands of port employees around the world have enthusiastically contributed their time and effort to a joint environmental initiative launched by marine terminal operators DP World, Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (HPH), APM Terminals, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) – five of the world’s largest port operators, and joined by the Port of Rotterdam Authority (PRA).
The week-long campaign from 14 to 21 September entailed joint activities to pioneer a green drive across operations worldwide, while bringing sustainable change to the communities they impact.
In unifying their global resources to realise environmental benefits, the port operators developed various initiatives around three main themes: reuse and recycle, climate change and the community.
The campaign also identified local partners in the effort to improve the environment, while creating and upgrading local green spaces, launching educational programmes and community engagement.
In line with DP World’s strategy of adopting a local approach to the implementation of its global environmental initiatives, 38 of its marine terminals across 29 countries organised activities tailored to the needs of the communities they impact. Employees across the world took part in a wide range of events from a cycling marathon, public square beautification and tree planting in Sokhna, Egypt and Karachi, Pakistan, alongside beach clean-up drives in Chennai, India, a ‘Green Race’ in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the recycling of old drums and tires into planter pots in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
HPH business units around the world organised a wide variety of GO GREEN activities with a particular focus on tree planting. Many of the events were designed to benefit the local communities in which HPH operates in a number of ways. For example, some of the tree-planting activities were held in conjunction with local schools where HPH organised workshops teaching the students about green issues including solid waste management, recycling and deforestation. In some instances, the trees were positioned to reduce erosion caused by waves or to create a barrier that reduced noise and dust pollution.
APM Terminals celebrated Go Green in 26 countries by planting 1793 trees and inviting more than 4000 students from local communities to learn about environmental themes.
Employees, their families and members of local communities managed to collect 26874 kilograms of waste during the campaign week, through cleaning local beaches, forests and around facilities. Other initiatives included the installation of solar panels at the port in Doula, Cameroon, and upgrading pedestrian safety at the terminal by recycling and reusing old tires and drums as physical barriers in Coman SA in Contonou, Benin and adopting a kindergarten to plant a vegetable garden in Itapoa, Brazil.
During the joint campaign, PSA business units around the world organised a multitude of projects to beautify the environment, such as planting trees and corals, cleaning up terminals, offices, local parks and beaches, and the creation of green spaces. Other activities included recycling competitions, conducting walks to appreciate the beauty of nature, and energy-saving seminars and talks at the workplace.
Similarly, SIPG employees took active part in the week-long campaign. They engaged in a series of activities to promote environmental protection philosophy, such as Lantern Riddle Competition, Eco-car Test Drive and “GO GREEN” Knowledge Contest.
Moreover, approximately 30 volunteers from HPH, Rotterdam World Gateway (DP World), APM Terminals Rotterdam and Port of Rotterdam helped www.recycledpark.com with collecting floating plastic litter from the New Meuse river on different locations in the City Centre of Rotterdam, as part of the global “Go Green” campaign. The plastics are recycled to give new value to the river. From the plastics floating platforms will be constructed for a new green environment; a floating park.
DP World Chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said, “The huge response to the campaign from our global family underlines a firm commitment to the environment by the participants. Such initiatives help change behaviours and increase engagement in caring for the surroundings in which people live. One of our aims is to bring long term sustainable benefits to the communities where we operate and when local people and employees get involved in activities such as this then everyone benefits.”
Hutchison Port Holdings Limited Group Managing Director Eric Ip said, “This year’s GO GREEN campaign cut to the core of HPH’s CSR philosophy: localised activities that benefit the communities in which our container terminals operate. When I look over the range of events that took place, it’s rewarding to see both our global network, and the largest container terminal operators in the world, uniting on the green front. Our environment deserves a lot more attention than an annual global campaign and HPH’s contribution does not stop here – we will continue to dedicate our time and resources to green causes.”
APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said, “The reaction by APM Terminals’ staff, their families, and other colleagues to this joint company environmental collaboration has been positive and inspiring. We are delighted by the response of personnel, and that of our industry partners in making this initiative such a global success and we look forward to continuing these important efforts to help preserve the environment.”
PSA International Group CEO Tan Chong Meng said, “We are glad to have been part of this joint initiative and channeling our efforts towards making the world a greener place. While this has been a milestone and a significant achievement, we remind ourselves that bringing about sustainable positive change to our environment is a daily affair, not just a yearly campaign. Therefore, the PSA people are back on the ground continually looking for every opportunity to reduce waste, promote recycling and raise environmental awareness. Every staff has a role to play in our green movement.”
Shanghai International Port Group Chairman Chen Xuyuan said, “Thanks to the Go Green, major ports around the world have been witnessed for the first time to jointly safeguard our environment. Fine feedback on the campaign and full cover on what we have committed keep us moving forward on this green path. Starting from daily practice, SIPG will be more dedicated to caring about members of the community by making every green decision.”
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