The report arose out of the “Total Plan for the Port of Antwerp” which reached its completion on 22 June 2010. The final conclusions put forward by the various workgroups all pointed to a common theme, namely sustainability. This was a clear sign that all stakeholders in the port are conscious of the importance of sustainability in developing the port of the 21st century. Competitive advantage is no longer limited to the strictly economic sphere; increasingly it is being sought in a wider social and indeed international context.
The main initiative-takers and driving forces behind the report were Antwerp Port Authority and the Left Bank Development Corporation (for the public sector) and Alfaport Antwerp (representing the private sector). The report was drawn up in accordance with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standard, with the GRI guidelines and methodology being adapted in consultation with the GRI bureau. This was necessary in order to make the reporting framework relevant to the port of Antwerp, as the GRI standard was initially developed for individual companies or organisations whereas a community such as a port is much wider and more complex. This first Sustainability Report also forms a “zero datum point.” As such it lays the ground for new joint projects, indicates where further study and research are necessary, and forms the basis for developing a sustainable port of and for people.
In preparing the report the indicators and texts were submitted to the stakeholders no less than three times, so as to ensure that it enjoyed the widest possible support. A number of selected indicators were then validated by the PwC auditing company. The Port of Antwerp Sustainability Report has been published in the form of a website, with the port and its sustainability first being placed in a global, strategic perspective. The report then follows the path that goods from all over the world take to their final destinations in the hinterland via the port of Antwerp. This takes the form of a series of nine “stops along the way” looking at various results in terms of people, planet and profit. By means of testimonials, interviews, film clips and photographs, readers obtain an in-depth view of the actions taken and the investments made by stakeholders within the port in order to ensure sustainability as part of a future-oriented policy for the port.
The Antwerp port community is proud of this Sustainability Report and the support that it enjoys, and aims to repeat the exercise every two years.