Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou, CEO at TOTOTHEO MARITIME & President at WISTA International, defines what sustainability means for shipping, referring to its three pillars – economic, social and environmental – and addressing also key steps to take for action. As noted, although the industry has already witnessed much movement on these three pillars of sustainability, there is need for more; such as sharing information about successes and understanding the risks associated with climate change and the changing oceans.
SAFETY4SEA: In a nutshell, what does the word ‘sustainability’ mean to you?
Despina Theodosiou: Sustainability means understanding the future risks of your company, your workforce and your industry and acting on these risks. Sustainability for me has three pillars:
- Economic sustainability where a company remains profitable.
- Social sustainability where one is aware of societal demands on how people are treated – and here I can point directly at issues relating to gender and diversity; and
- Environmental sustainability where one is aware of risks associated with carbon emissions, ocean health and other impacts that you as a person, or you as a company, can influence.
These three corners of sustainability all influence each other and in a fast-changing world – and industry – if one is weak then we will have significant problems…(read more) source – https://safety4sea.com/cm-understanding-sustainability-in-maritime-industry-key-priorities/