The head of the Sustainability Department of the Port Authority presented the environmental strategy of the port of A Coruña and its most outstanding milestones at Ceida.
Andrés Guerra, head of the Sustainability Department at the Port Authority of A Coruña, spoke at the Forum on Environmental Management Initiatives Serving Society, organized by the Galician Center for University Extension and Environmental Outreach (CEIDA), and held yesterday at Santa Cruz Castle. The aim of this meeting was to highlight some of the most exemplary environmental policies and projects in Galicia, such as the environmental sustainability strategy developed by the Port of A Coruña. Andrés Guerra's presentation focused on this topic, explaining both the reasons that led the Port Authority to develop this strategy and its key principles and most important milestones.
Guerra recalled that the predominantly bulk cargo activity of the Port of A Coruña, which involves the handling of environmentally sensitive goods, combined with its location in the city center—specifically, in one of the most densely populated cities in Europe—made it necessary to implement a sustainability strategy, an area in which the Port Authority of A Coruña was a pioneer among Spanish port authorities. Andrés Guerra emphasized that one of the fundamental objectives of this strategy is to minimize the impact of port activity on the local population. He clarified that these impacts are the lowest in the historical record for values such as particulate emissions, while the economic impact of the Port of A Coruña has been growing, both in terms of the expansion of its commercial network into a hinterland that reaches the Meseta Central plateau, and in the creation of jobs and wealth for the entire region.
Regarding the main lines of the port's sustainability strategy, he recalled that it is based on the principles of ethical commitment, which have as fundamental pillars transparency in all actions, consultation with stakeholders to understand their concerns and needs, accountability by explaining the measures adopted and the results obtained, and collaboration with all administrations.
Based on these principles, measures have been adopted in recent years that have definitively improved environmental performance and fostered a completely transparent relationship with stakeholders and society at large. Among these, Andrés Guerra cited the Environmental Forum, which includes representatives from all sectors linked to port activity, local residents, universities, and government agencies, as well as the implementation of the code of ethics that Port Authority employees must adhere to. Of particular importance is another code, the environmental code of conduct, which has already been adopted by 27 companies, including the main solid bulk cargo operators.
This code is a roadmap for proper environmental management that must be applied to the handling of all types of goods, and which all adhering companies must strictly adhere to, in turn enjoying discounts on certain port services. The implementation of this code in 2009 and the gradual incorporation of clients has been a vital step forward, as Andrés Guerra emphasized, since companies not only have precise instructions for handling each type of cargo, but they must also comply with them rigorously.
To perform these functions, they have another highly useful tool, whose implementation was also pioneering: the Environmental Dashboard. This dashboard provides real-time information via the internet on the port's weather and environmental conditions, from weather forecasts to particulate emissions. It thus fulfills the dual purpose of providing transparent information and serving as a reference tool for operators to ensure the proper execution of their activities.
Andrés Guerra pointed out that these measures, combined with improvements to the port's facilities and equipment, have led to a drastic reduction in elements such as particulate matter emissions into the atmosphere, with only two exceedances of PM10 levels so far this year. This figure is far below the 35 exceedances permitted by current regulations. He emphasized that these exceedances occurred in the area with the highest concentration of activity within the port and outside of populated areas. However, the monitoring station located in San Diego Park did not register any exceedances throughout 2013.
Finally, he referred to other pioneering actions such as the drafting of the Port's Sustainability Reports, of which seven editions have already been presented, as well as the audit to which the Port Authority was subjected in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, with remarkable results, or membership in the EMAS register, which can only be accessed by entities distinguished for their excellence in environmental sustainability.
