A review of corporate sustainability drivers in maritime ports: a multi-stakeholder perspective

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A review of corporate sustainability drivers in maritime ports: a multi-stakeholder perspective

Ashrafi, Mehrnaz / Walker, Tony R. / Magnan, Gregory M. / Adams, Michelle / Acciaro, Michele

Maritime ports play a pivotal role in facilitating trade, serving as key nodes in global transport chains. Competitive pressure exists for port managers and operators to search for ways to deliver consistent improvements in productivity and profitability. Additionally, external effects associated with port activities have been given more attention in recent years, thus favouring a holistic integration of sustainability into port planning and operations. In this process, factors driving ports to become more sustainable need to be examined. This study, which is based on a systematic review of literature published since 1987, synthesizes various research perspectives for corporate sustainability drivers in maritime ports using the lens of stakeholder theory. Thirty drivers of corporate sustainability were identified, classified into 10 main drivers and further grouped into five clusters, serving as the basis for development of a multi-stakeholder perspective. This study also discusses examples of actions taken by ports in response to perspectives of various stakeholders using selected case examples from existing literature. This study provides an understanding of how decisions for adopting corporate sustainability are motivated in ports according to a multi-stakeholder perspective, and highlights how ports have responded to shifts through developing and implementing sustainability strategies using global case examples.