Sustainability Report 2017 1

Sustainability keeps us moving Sustainability Report 2017 1. Shipping 2. Mobility 3. Employment and safety at work 4. Economic activity 5. Nature and the environment 6. Energy and climate 7. Research and innovation 8. Society 9. The circular economy 10. Security 11. Annexes Foreword This is the fourth Sustainability Report for the port of Antwerp published by Antwerp Port Authority, the Left Bank Development Corporation and Alfaport-Voka Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland. This biannual Sustainability Report has become a tou- chstone for the port’s ambition to remain a leader in creation of sustainable added value. The publication is still unique in terms of sustainability reporting, because the reporting is done by the port community as a whole, produced in close collaboration with the many stakeholders. Furthermore, the report is not a standalone production but instead forms part of a transition process. It is a tool for reacting in a sustainable, proactive way to the great worldwide, regional and local challenges that are now making themselves felt, such as climate change, mobility, digitisation, and migration and social integration. Against this background, in consultation with the stakeholders it has been decided to take the UN Sustainable Development Goals as the main guidelines for this process of transitio- ning to a more sustainable port. The Sustainable Development Goals also form the guiding principles behind the Vision 2030-2050 for the port of Antwerp that was launched in 2016. In its vision the port community sees the SDGs as one and indivisible, and thus as pointing the way for a sustainable port that aims to remain the leader in creation of sustainable added value. In line with this philosophy, the traditional “3 Ps” of People, Planet and Prosperity have been extended in the vision to include Peace and Partnership. In this Sustainability Report the Peace aspect is dealt with under the three headings of dialogue, transparency and innovation, while our traditional slogan “Strong through collaboration” forms the basis of the Partnership section. This Sustainability Report has been drawn up according to the latest GRI reporting standards. Furthermore we have opted once again to have the report audited externally. The number of indicators examined in the report has once more been extended since the previous occasion. The external auditing has clearly helped to improve the quality process, while positively inspiring all those involved and yielding a new understanding of the methods used. The fourth Sustainability Report builds further on the previous versions, while at the same time anticipating the reactions of stakeholders. This time we have included two new subjects, namely shipping and the circular economy. In the case of shipping a number of specific indicators have been developed, including the extent to which the increasing number of ships calling at Antwerp comply with international maritime law, and the amount of use that is made of emission-reducing technology. The indicators for the circular economy will be further refined in future, but we can already see a rise in employment and in the added value created by this sector. These trends will certainly continue in future, thanks to the efforts of the port community. The volume of freight handled by the port of Antwerp is increasing overall year after year. In 2015 the volume passed the 200 million tonne mark for the first time ever. Thus the port of Antwerp is maintaining its position as the engine of the Flemish economy, creating employment and prosperity for the local population. However, this positive trend also brings challenges with it, such as the increasing pressure on mobility and the implementation of the transition to a circular, low-carbon technology. The port community has an important innovative role to play here. As regards mobility we see greater provision of more sustainable modes of transport for travel between home and work, and also more use being made of these sustainable modes. However, when it comes to freight transport the modal shift is still not going in the right direction. Turning to climate and energy, there has been a further decrease in energy consumption and CO2 emissi- ons, despite the general rise in industrial output. At the same time the renewable energy production capacity continues to rise. Further transition is needed to continue this trend in future. The third Sustainability Report also garnered various prizes: in 2016 we carried off the award for the Best Belgian Sustainability Report for the second time (in the category “other organisations”). The award recognises the combined efforts of the Antwerp port community to define sustainability and thus to create a lever for the process of transition 4 - Sustainability Report 2017 towards a sustainable port. We hope that this trend will continue with our fourth report! At the same time we understand that a bi-annual report can only be a snapshot of the state of affairs at a certain moment. Accordingly, this report does not stand alone. The website www.duurzamehavenvanantwerpen.be, which used to be a complete online version of the report, has now been given a complete makeover. It has been made more dynamic, tailored to suit our various target groups. The website offers a place where all players in the port can share their ideas, projects, experience and progress. In fact it is the ideal place to find the most recent information on the transition process towards a more sustainable report. In this respect the website and this report complement each other. This Sustainability Report can only be a part of the wider ambition for us a port community to work together towards a more sustainable port. Ultimately the necessary efforts must come from all players active in the port. It was also for this reason that the Port of Antwerp Sustainability Award was introduced in 2016. This first edition of the award can be considered as a great success. No fewer than 20 companies entered for this pres- tigious competition, with ECLUSE finally emerging as the overall winner. ECLUSE is a collaborative project in which steam from various incineration plants is delivered to six industrial companies via a high-pressure network. The number of entries for the competition is a clear signal that the companies in the port give high priority to sustainability, with numerous projects being set up. In this report you will find some excellent examples of promising projects and initiatives. Finally, we would like to thank the various workgroups and external data suppliers and stakeholders. We look forward to collaborating further with you in future, making a signi- ficant contribution towards a more sustainable port and society. Have a good read! Boudewijn Vlegels (chairman, Left Bank Development Corporation) Peter Van de Putte (director, Left Bank Development Corporation) Walter Van Mechelen (chairman, Alfaport-Voka) Stephan Vanfraechem (director, Alfaport-Voka) Marc Van Peel (chairman, Antwerp Port Authority) Jacques Vandermeiren (CEO, Antwerp Port Authority) Sustainability Report 2017 - 5 Mission The port of Antwerp aims to remain the leader in creating sustainable added value for the region and for Flanders. Vision The port’s activities are played out in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and am- biguous) in which demographic, geopolitical, technological, industrial, energy, sociological and economic changes come along and reinforce each other at an ever-increasing pace. Sustainability is not just about maintaining and strengthening the competitive position of the port, but also about developing a vital, crisis-resistant economic tissue and further building up a diversified port, in balance with people and the environment. This promotes stability and creates various synergies that reinforce the economic structure of the port. The main task of the port community in creating sustainable added value therefore inclu- des effectively attracting and dealing with diverse, constantly expanding freight flows, and creating a sufficient number of high-quality jobs. The synergy between maritime tranship- ment, logistics and industry is central to this task. At the same time it is important to generate enough local support for all these varied port activities, and to involve all the regional stakeholders in this. Since sustainability also presupposes a vision of the future, the port community has developed its Vision 2030-2050. This is not so much a forecast as a list of current trends that can provide inspiration for a shared long-term orientation and guidelines. What trends does the future hold in store for us? Energy transitions, the circular economy, exponential development of technological possibilities, a rapidly expanding, global middle class that forms the basis for the growth in world trade, more competition between ports, new business models that take full advantage of technological innovation ... All of these will lead to radical changes in the supply chains and in the corresponding role played by the different parties in these chains. But there are certainties as well. The conventional hinterland remains as important as ever. In addition to its advantageous geographical location deep inland, the port has a number of other future-oriented advantages: a unique cluster with extensive trimodal connection possibilities for hinterland transport, sufficient size and scale, the ability to team up with educational and research institutes in the region, a renowned “can-do” mentality, a wide range of talent ... But success in the core activities of the port will not necessarily translate into added value on a one-to-one basis. Success also depends on the productivity and speed with which technological possibilities can be put into practice. The high level of productivity for which our port is famous can only be maintained by recruiting the right people in the right pla- ces. Matching supply and demand in the labour market will continue to be a challenge in future.

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