{"id":5987,"date":"2026-01-05T16:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T16:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portstrategy.nfdtesting.uk\/greenport\/2026\/01\/05\/exclusive-circular-economy-in-ports-from-vision-to-action\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:20:23","slug":"exclusive-circular-economy-in-ports-from-vision-to-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/news\/europe-greenport\/exclusive-circular-economy-in-ports-from-vision-to-action\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Circular economy in ports: From vision to action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving from a linear \u201ctake-make-dispose\u201d model towards a circular one means rethinking how materials, water and energy are managed and how collaboration between port stakeholders can turn residual streams into valuable secondary resources.<\/p>\n

This was the central focus of the workshop \u201cCircular Economy Strategies and Indicators for Sustainable Port Development\u201d, held during the GreenPort Congress in Malta<\/a>. The aim was to exchange practical experiences and identify concrete ways to integrate circular principles into port operations.<\/p>\n

Dynamic ecosystems<\/strong><\/p>\n

The session gathered 15 participants, who worked in three small groups to discuss good practices and identify opportunities for circular solutions.<\/p>\n

An introductory presentation on the circular economy framework highlighted that ports are dynamic industrial ecosystems where large amounts of materials, energy and water circulate daily.<\/p>\n

They may host a variety of industries, logistics and transport services, all of which offer great potential for circular synergies. Circular approaches can help ports reduce waste and pollution, improve resource efficiency, lower operational costs, strengthen collaboration with surrounding cities and industries and enhance their contribution to sustainable growth.<\/p>\n

To guide the discussion, seven thematic areas of circular economy in ports were identified: Waste management; construction and dredging materials; water reuse; energy recovery; shared logistics and services; industrial symbiosis and port-city cooperation.<\/p>\n

Three working groups were formed, each selecting one of these themes to explore in detail. Each group examined a real or potential circular initiative within their thematic area, identifying its benefits, challenges and relevant indicators. The groups\u2019 examples revealed both the opportunities and the practical complexities of applying circular economy principles in ports.<\/p>\n

Tailor-made approaches<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first group focused on the circular management of oily waste originating from ships and port activities. Their proposed initiative aimed at recovering, treating and reusing oily residues or sludge to create secondary raw materials, such as recycled oils.<\/p>\n

They highlighted environmental benefits such as reduced pollution and lower consumption of virgin materials, but also economic gains for ships if waste reception costs can be optimised.<\/p>\n

Key indicators proposed included the percentage of oily waste successfully treated and valorised. The main challenge identified was meeting the strict quality and regulatory requirements needed to market the final product.<\/p>\n

A second group explored joint initiatives to prevent litter and reduce cleaning costs, noting that pollution in port waters is often closely linked to urban runoff. Their proposed \u201ctailor-made approach\u201d would involve shared monitoring, coordinated clean-up efforts and harmonised awareness campaigns between the port authority and the municipality.<\/p>\n

Benefits included a cleaner waterfront, reduced maintenance costs and stronger engagement between the port and local residents. As an indicator, the group suggested tracking litter density (e.g, kg or items per hectare). However, they pointed out that overly strict regulations and complex administrative procedures often make these collaborations costly and slow to implement.<\/p>\n

Finally, the third group discussed the reuse of sediments and construction waste in new port projects. They emphasised environmental advantages such as reduced carbon footprint and the possibility of certifying recycled materials for use in infrastructure works. A simple but meaningful indicator would be the percentage of materials reused in comparison with total materials used. Their main barrier was the lack of clear definitions and standards for recycled materials, coupled with concerns about contamination and treatment costs.<\/p>\n

Way forward<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feedback from the workshop was highly positive. Participants appreciated the interactive format, the opportunity to exchange experiences and the possibility of hearing challenges from very different port contexts.<\/p>\n

A key take home from all the workshop groups was a coordinated approach to clean-up efforts and harmonised awareness campaigns is always needed between the port authority and the municipality.<\/p>\n

But the challenge here is that overly strict regulations and complex administrative procedures often make these collaborations costly and slow to implement.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, there are huge medium and long term benefits from taking a circular economy approach, both economically and environmentally, so it is worth staying the course.<\/p>\n

Workshops like this demonstrate why the GreenPort Congress<\/a> remains a key platform for the port sector.<\/p>\n

The Congress brings together port authorities, researchers and industry suppliers to share experiences and create solutions for the sustainability challenges ahead, demonstrating that collaboration remains the strongest driver of circular and resilient port development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The circular economy is gaining momentum across the port sector, as ports look for ways to reduce resource use, minimise waste and create value from what was once considered residual, writes\u00a0Mart\u00ed Puig, lecturer at Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya (UPC).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,61,1376],"tags":[525,849,81,109,570],"sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-5987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-greenport","category-greenport-congress-greenport","category-greenport-exclusive","tag-circular-economy","tag-greenport-congress","tag-greenport-congress-cruise","tag-malta","tag-mercator-media-ltd"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5989,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5987\/revisions\/5989"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5987"},{"taxonomy":"sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portstrategy.com\/greenport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsor?post=5987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}