ESG in the Port Sector

SÃO PAULO – What initially seemed to be just a rhetorical effort confined to conferences or courses aimed at executives is now taking on the character of government policy for the port sector with the decision of the National Waterway Transportation Agency (Antaq) to embrace the practices encompassed by the ESG concept. But what does ESG mean? It stands for Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance, encompassing good environmental, social, and corporate governance practices.

Today, being recognized for environmental care, promoting sustainability, and adopting ethical conduct has become a standard to be followed in the corporate and public world. The topic includes diversity policies for the workplace and projects to reduce social inequality. This concern has become even more pressing following the global situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, to the point where many investors have significantly increased their investments in so-called ESG companies that focus on social responsibility issues. According to experts, by 2025, projects prioritizing these concepts are expected to reach one-third of the international market.

This topic is in complete synergy with the port sector, which, by its nature, is directly related to the environment and employs a large number of workers. In this sense, Antaq has stood out for the series of inspections it has carried out in Santos and other ports through operations called “Descarte” and “Relíqua,” aiming to inspect the movement of hazardous products. Antaq has also taken actions to curb the use of ballast water from ships, which pollutes seas and rivers. These operations involve the Federal Police, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Federal Revenue Service, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT), port companies, the Port Captaincy, the Fire Department, and the Brazilian Army.

It is also worth noting the study that Antaq has been conducting to identify the impacts of climate change on Brazilian ports. This study will help identify the prevention and mitigation needs of the main risks that ports are exposed to due to climate change.

To this study, we should add the environmental education activities that Antaq conducts in the Amazon region, seeking to involve local governments, entrepreneurs, and riverside communities in selective waste collection on vessels navigating those rivers. This approach is especially important to reverse the unfavorable image that the country has been presenting to the international community, which is currently strongly associated with illegal forest fires, deforestation, and irregular land occupation.

It is important to consider that the ESG concept is not just an ideological issue but a matter of survival for companies in general. After all, major corporations and global investment funds have made it clear that they do not want to associate their resources with companies that do not have a commitment to social inclusion, environmental causes, ethics, and good behavioral rules.

Therefore, the ESG concept today can be used to determine how much a business is worth when it seeks ways to minimize its environmental impacts, aims to build a fairer and more responsible world for the people around it, and strives to maintain the best administrative processes. In other words, in the port sector, actions that take into account sustainability principles are increasingly essential, aiming to meet the needs of humans without compromising the future of the next generations.

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Liana Lourenço Martinelli, lawyer, postgraduate in Business Management and International Trade, is Manager of Institutional Relations at the Fiorde Group, composed of Fiorde International Logistics, FTA Transport and General Warehouses, and Barter International Trade. Email: fiorde@fiorde.com.br. Website: fiorde.com.br

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