Make no mistake – our goal is clear: we are working to make APM Terminals the best (and most profitable) terminal and port operating company in the industry. We have another mandate as well: to conduct our business in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way. As with Safety, these are not by definition contradictory pursuits. It is not only possible, but necessary, to create an environmentally sustainable business model which satisfies customers, stakeholders – and our own strict company principles of conduct. We believe that we have been able to achieve this. Our \u201cSustainable Business Model\u201d has been introduced into the planning and management of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network. This strategy is already paying off, and will be accelerated as we continue to take the appropriate steps to meet the needs of our customers around the world.<\/p>\n
Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n Our industry – by the nature of our investments – has a long-term planning horizon. Often, however, quick thinking and fast action is also required. As we explore and evaluate new terminal and port development opportunities several simple, basic facts inform our actions and decisions. We are a global company which is comprised of many local businesses. Our operations and actions make a big impact wherever we build a facility or assume management responsibility through investment, Joint Venture or winning a concession contract. We are in business to make a profit, but we are also very aware of our corporate social responsibilities as well. This is particularly so in the economically developing areas where much infrastructure investment will take place over the next decades.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n We start a project from the ground up by engaging the local community. This involves not only signing up customers, but also considerable local hiring and job creation. When and if market conditions are right, we will move forward with terminal or port development planning and construction. The operation of a modern container terminal or general-use port, which is our preferred level of involvement in any new project, is an ambitious and complex undertaking. Modern container and cargo handling, though very efficient, also requires a lot of energy. Power is required for crane lifts, yard movements and equipment (such as refrigerated containers). Energy usage and industrial activity also produces emissions and waste. This is much more of an important part of the overall accounting process than in years past. That change will continue to become faster and more pronounced. Even in a more responsible world (and even because of responsible and sustainable business practices) profits can be generated when things are done right. This creates value for everyone involved in the global logistics chain on a very personal level: customers, company shareholders, employees, suppliers and the local communities. Creating this value is what will help make us the best in the industry. Improving employment and other outreach engagement with the local community is simply part of the bigger picture: driving business toward sustainability. Environmental sustainability is a central pillar of this strategy.<\/p>\n Tracking environmental performance<\/strong><\/p>\n APM Terminals now tracks environmental performance at each of our terminals and ports with an eye toward benchmarking and measuring progress. This also puts a local imperative on environmental sustainability- community outreach works both ways. Our proactive energy conservation and other environmental initiatives have begun to produce some pretty good results. We have retained the services of DNV, the internationally known Oslo-based Classification Society to help with our energy and emissions reporting. This has been another great learning and improvement process, and we have learned a great deal about enhancing accuracy and consistency in our global reporting. As verified by DNV, carbon dioxide emissions per TEU handled across the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network were reduced by 8% in 2009 from the recorded levels of 2008. We think this is a promising start. Our stated company target for CO2 reduction is now \u201c10 in 2010\u201d, or reducing emissions by another 10% this year. Using such methods as Lean Sigma Six and Process Excellence analysis, and building upon Best Practice ideas developed and exchanged during the past year among our facilities, the company-wide movement continues to accelerate. Momentum is building at individual facilities and a true sense of team spirit- and good-natured competition is growing as well.<\/p>\n \u201cPlay-to-Win\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n We conducted a global \u201cPlay-to-Win\u201d contest in the second half of last year in which terminals and ports were asked to submit their Best Practices for saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions. The entries included 16 Best Practice videos on environmental improvement and 27 on associated cost reduction initiatives. (Local engagement can pay off globally within the company too). Another example of promoting sustainable practices has been the development in-house of a software program which allows facilities to easily plug in figures and specifications to calculate energy consumption and corresponding CO2 production. With this \u201cGreen Calculator\u201d, opportunities for environmental savings through equipment change or replacement can be readily identified. On a global scale even small improvements quickly add up to make a big difference. Our newest energy conservation and cost reduction plan calls for the consolidation of data centers and the increased use of \u201cvirtualization\u201d- using data power centrally- to cut down on local server and computer usage. It may not sound like much, but the project is expected to generate another 30-40% in energy savings. There is a lot of information, and there are a lot of good ideas to be shared in a global enterprise with strong local roots. That is a natural resource which is sustainable too. There is a huge amount of power to be harnessed when everyone on the team is playing to win. We think of each suggestion and each new Best Practice as another step toward our goal of \u201cBeing the Best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Henrik Kristensen, Head of Corporate Responsibilities at APM Terminals, outlines the company\u2019s strategy for sustainability implementation strategy at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-4647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projects-initiatives-greenport"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4647"},{"taxonomy":"sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/coastlink\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsor?post=4647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}