Abstract
Canada Port Authorities (CPAs) are federal entities responsible for managing Canadian Ports with local, national, and international strategic importance. Despite their connection to the Government of Canada, the CPAs inconsistently report sustainability performance and are absent from Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS)—a national strategy to operationalize the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainability initiatives currently used by CPAs only contribute towards attaining 14 of 36 relevant SDG targets, suggesting the need for an additional sustainability framework to achieve the remainder of these targets. This paper proposes a port-specific framework based on disclosures from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to fill performance gaps in current sustainability initiatives. Disclosures were selected in an iterative process based on literature and industry best practices. The framework provides a unified approach for both CPAs and policymakers to attain SDG targets relevant to the Canadian port sector and align sustainability performance with Canada’s FSDS.
Highlights
The Green Marine Environmental Program (GMEP) is beneficial in its ability to facilitate improved environmental performance in the port sector; the program is limited in its capacity to address all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant to the Canadian Port Sector
The reliance on the GMEP was previously identified as problematic because the program does not effectively address the bulk of SDGs relevant to the Canada Port Authorities (CPAs). This finding necessitated the development and inclusion of an additional framework that could be used by CPAs to bridge the gaps between the GMEP performance indicators (PIs) and the SDG targets applicable to their operations
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards were identified as an integrated solution that provide a unified approach to sustainability reporting using economic, environmental, and social standards
Summary
Despite their connection to the Government of Canada, the CPAs inconsistently report sustainability performance and are absent from. Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS)—a national strategy to operationalize the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The framework provides a unified approach for both CPAs and policymakers to attain SDG targets relevant to the Canadian port sector and align sustainability performance with Canada’s FSDS. Canadian ports are critical to the nation’s growing, resource-based economy. They improve the logistics of bringing goods to market and are critical components of competitive, safe, and environmentally sustainable marine corridors [1].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
