Barcelona’s Hutchison Ports BEST cuts GHG emissions, receives Lean and Green award

November 22, 2024, by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak

Hutchison Ports BEST container terminal in the Spanish Port of Barcelona has been awarded the Lean and Green award, earning 4 stars for its ‘outstanding’ performance in reducing emissions in logistics processes.

This European recognition is awarded to companies that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint through the optimization of their logistics and transport processes.

Lean and Green is “the largest” European collaboration platform specifically aimed at reducing emissions associated with the supply chain. It is an international initiative that aims to help companies in all sectors reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from logistics activities to achieve the goals defined at the Paris Climate Summit (COP21) of carbon-neutral emissions by 2050.

In Spain, the Lean and Green Award is awarded by the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC).

In 2023, Hutchison Ports BEST achieved a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 58.73% in logistics processes compared to 2021. The environmental and energy efficiency measures implemented include the purchase of electricity from renewable sources, the installation of solar panels, the optimization of the terminal’s operating system, the change to LED lighting, and the acquisition of electric and hybrid machinery.

The achievement is said to underscore the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

“We are very proud to receive this award. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team to make Hutchison Ports BEST the most sustainable terminal in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean,” Guillermo Belcastro, CEO at Hutchison Ports BEST, commented.

“BEST’s current emissions reduction is being amplified with the recent use of On Shore Power by eliminating GHG emissions from ships during their stay at the terminal, thus contributing to improved air quality.”

To remind, the Port of Barcelona launched its first onshore power supply system at Hutchison Ports Best in July this year. This equipment, which is the first in a container terminal in a Mediterranean port, makes it possible to supply ships with 100% renewable-origin electricity so that they can turn off their engines while in the Port of Barcelona and thus reduce their emissions.

This initiative is part of the company’s sustainability strategy, which is seen as the heart of logistics, as it is concerned with being a clean container terminal and pumping sustainable supply chains. The emission savings for each 20″ container that passes through the terminal is 67% compared to a conventional terminal.

Since 2021, BEST has been verifying the process of calculating its carbon footprint and registering it with the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. This year, BEST has carried out a double verification process for the 2023 footprint and that of Lean and Green, with the part that corresponds to logistics processes.

BEST’s decarbonization plan in the Port of Barcelona aims to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by 2030 and reach net zero emissions before 2040.