Indicators of port sustainability: The example of Baltic Sea container ports

Container ports are key elements of global supply chains. Recent changes in the transport market put greater pressure on ports to operate sustainably and contribute more to socio-economic development for regions, countries, and communities. This research presents a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) metric comprising 25 economic, environmental, and social indicators to assess the port sustainability of the 10 biggest container ports in the Baltic Sea Region. The proposed method is applicable to any port and may be of interest to port managers and operators. The study uses publicly available data, which is its biggest limitation because the ports differ in their information policies. The results show that Nordic ports (except Rauma), together with the Port of Tallinn, are leaders in implementing port sustainable initiatives. Ports from countries where the principles of sustainable development have not yet been properly instilled, in turn, tend to implement sustainable initiatives only if necessary and economically feasible.

Automated summary

Container ports play a crucial role in global supply chains, but face increasing pressure to operate sustainably and contribute to socio-economic development. This research introduces a Triple Bottom Line metric with 25 indicators to assess the sustainability of the largest container ports in the Baltic Sea Region. Results show that Nordic ports and the Port of Tallinn are leaders in implementing sustainable initiatives, while ports in countries with weak sustainability principles tend to do so only if necessary and economically feasible.