Now a partner of the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP), the BPA will join the global drive to improve the ports industry’s further integration of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals in their business and operations.
Mark Simmonds, director of policy and external affairs at the BPA, said: “I am delighted that the BPA is joining the WPSP as a partner. Our members are extremely diverse in their size, business model, speciality and in terms of where they are on their sustainability ‘journey’. Some of our members are already engaged with the programme, but this will give more UK ports the opportunity to learn from and contribute to a growing global bank of knowledge, experience and expertise.”
Supporting decarbonisation
This the first major step the BPA is taking in a more sustained and coordinated effort to support UK ports in decarbonising their operations. The BPA represents over 400 ports, terminals and port facilities, accounting for 86% of UK port tonnage as well as all the major energy and passenger hubs.
The WPSP was founded in 2018 by the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), of which the BPA is an associate member. Joining the WPSP will give BPA members access to the IAPH’s global suite of port environmental best practices and networks.
The programme seeks to enhance and coordinate future sustainability efforts of ports worldwide and foster international cooperation with partners in the supply chain, covering climate and energy, resilience, community outreach, health safety and security, governance and ethics.
Earlier this year, the BPA and IAPH jointly hired Rhona Macdonald as the BPA’s sustainability advisor and IAPH’s IMO liaison officer.