They won the award for a collaborative project aimed at implementing OECD seaport guidelines. These guidelines for government apply to corporate social responsibility in international industry. The seaports looked at how they could contribute to making freight movements that are sometimes risky more sustainable.
The Seaports Trade Organization (Brancheorganisatie Zeehavens, BOZ) has explored how seaports can influence the process of making cargo flows sustainable — from their place in the supply chain. Often these freight flows include risks such as harm to the environment, human rights abuses.
The BOZ has discussed the role and obligation of seaports as one of the many links in the supply chain, based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. It also examined how seaports can contribute to reducing the risks of international CSR for cargo flows processed in or through ports.
The seaports used this study's results to define the international CSR threats and list the arsenal of interventions available to seaports. The project exemplifies how the port community will contribute positively to making freight flows more efficient.
The World Ports Sustainability Awards have won annual awards for best practices since 2018. The Netherlands seaports have won the Award in the Governance and Ethics division. The Medals are given at the annual IAPH World Ports Conference each year.
This conference was expected to be held in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2020, but was cancelled because of the pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The awards are now being given to the winners online like the Dutch seaports.
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