Port of Barcelona reduces its carbon footprint by 20%

The Port of Barcelona has reduced its CO2 emissions by 20% and becomes the first port in the world to achieve the Lean & Green initiative star, promoted by the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC), for achieving this goal over a maximum five years through a set of concrete actions.   

The consultancy Ernst & Young was responsible for certifying that the Port of Barcelona achieved the goal of reducing CO2 in the period established, measuring it against the infrastructure's carbon footprint and for completing the action plan established jointly with AECOC.

For Port President Mercè Conesa, “this award shows once again that we are fully committed to the goals set by the EU and the IMO derived from the Paris Agreements for reducing emissions by 2030 and 2050 framed in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. Ms Conesa pointed to one of the main projects that the Port of Barcelona will perform in this area, called Power to Ship, which will make it possible to connect ships to the electrical grid on the wharf, eliminating emissions from auxiliary engines while berthed in port; she also highlighted the commitment to electric mobility and the promotion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative transition fuel for ships, trucks and terminal machinery to significantly reduce emissions and combat climate change.   

The Action Plan of the Lean & Green programme to which the Catalan infrastructure has adhered sets 2016 as the baseline year to start measuring the reduction of the Port of Barcelona's CO2 emissions, while the key efficiency indicator as a method of measurement is tonnes of goods transported annually by the Port's facilities.  

In this regard, the infrastructure has put several reduction measures in place to meet the requirements of sustainability and profitability.    

An initial action under the Plan refers to the renewal of the vehicle fleet with 100% electric cars and motorcycles, which has reduced accumulated emissions by 50 tonnes of CO2eq. The second action involves modernising public lighting with LED technology and saving emissions by acquiring 100% of its energy with a certification of origin from renewable sources, marking a total reduction of almost 5,000 tonnes of CO2eq.    

Lean & Green, present in 14 countries and more than 600 companies, is the largest European collaboration platform aimed especially at reducing emissions associated with the supply chain. It is an international initiative that works with companies from all sectors to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from logistics activities  and achieve the goals set out in the Paris Climate Convention (COP21) on carbon-neutral emissions  by 2050.