The claim for the world’s first carbon neutral-certified container shipment has gone to a box loaded on a Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) vessel in Ecuador’s Port of Guayaquil.
The container was loaded onto the 4,860-teu MSC Geneva (built 2006) at the Contecon Guayaquil (CGSA) terminal, employing a logistics process involving environment-friendly supply chain players, from the exporter to the port and distributor.
The green transport of the box of bananas bound for Antwerp was achieved through cooperation between TropicalFruit Export, CGSA, and the Societe International d’Importation (SIIM).
All three are carbon-neutral certified organisations that adhere to sustainable development and environmental care principles, as well as strict compliance to clean technologies and neutralisation of their carbon footprints.
The bananas were exported by Ecuadorian company TropicalFruit, which has been certified as carbon neutral since 2015.
Environmental stewardship
CGSA, which is the first port operator in the Americas to obtain ISO 14064 carbon-neutral certification from TUV Rheinland, applied the principles of environmental stewardship and use of clean technology.
SIIM is a French wholesale distributor of fruit and vegetables that has been involved in developing sustainable agriculture since 2014 and is an advocate of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals. The bananas were distributed under its Selvatica brand.
The companies said the milestone demonstrates how exporters can certify their supply chain processes to be in compliance with global regulations to meet consumer demand for products from sustainable processes.
“This achievement was made possible thanks to the trust of the country’s exporting companies who choose Contecon Guayaquil for their operations, our business partners and government entities with whom we work hand in hand, our employees and management, and most especially our parent company who continually decides to invest in infrastructure that not only allows economic and port growth but also the preservation of the environment,” Jose Antonio Contreras, CGSA chief executive said.
International ports group ICTSI was awarded a 20-year operating concession for the container and multipurpose terminals in the city by its port authority in 2007.
Ecuador released $170m worth of investment in Guayaquil port last year and signed an addendum giving ICTSI a further 19 years of the concession.
