WSM Is Joining the Fight Against Plastics, Wants Vendors to Follow Suit

Norway’s Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM) is introducing new criteria in their vendor selection process as it seeks to contribute to maritime trade sustainability.

As outlined by WSM, vendors supplying spare parts, stores and consumables will be required to demonstrate that they have a viable plan to reduce plastic usage on the products delivered to the company.

This will apply to all existing and new vendors, WSM said.

“As a ship manager, we are able to procure at economies of scale and at the same time we own the responsibility to create a sustainable world. We need to consume less plastics in every way we could,” said Carl Schou, President and CEO of Wilhelmsen Ship Management.

WSM announced its decision at the same time as 187 countries agreed to do more against plastic waste, by adding plastic to the Basel Convention, a treaty that controls the movement of hazardous waste from one country to another. The amendments were approved following two weeks of UN-led meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.

Exporters will now be required to obtain the consent of receiving countries before shipping most contaminated, mixed, or unrecyclable plastic waste, providing an important tool for developing countries to stop the dumping of unwanted plastic waste into their countries.