CBS Maritime Expanding Partnership on Governance and Innovation for a Sustainable Maritime Supply Chain
The issue of effective governance has come high on the international maritime industry agenda. The 2015 Danish Maritime Forum, a major international event attracting more than 200 top executives from the maritime industry worldwide, emphasized the need for common vision, improved global governance and a more collaborative environment among the many public and private stakeholders in the global maritime industry.
An international research partnership, led jointly by CBS Maritime and Centre for Transportation Studies at Sauder School of Business, addresses governance and innovation for tackling environmental and climate challenges in the global maritime supply chain. The aim of the partnership is to facilitate better awareness and understanding of environmental management challenges and best practices for producers, shippers, shipowners, customers, ports and local communities.
Governance challenges for a sustainable maritime supply chain
In collaboration with Sauder School of Business, CBS Maritime hosted a conference that brought together a group of dedicated international academic researchers, industry participants, and representatives from different industry associations to discuss and share opinions on sustainability in the maritime supply chain with focus on five themes: Trade and Logistics Governance, Green Port Governance, Corporate Governance, Stakeholder Governance, and Value Chain Governance.
One of the main topics brought forward by the industry representatives in the panel debate was the actual value of sustainability for businesses. This led to a discussion of the need for engaged scholarship, which facilitates collaboration between many different actors from various institutions, as well as stakeholders from other industries. This collaboration and exchange of knowledge between academics and knowledge professionals seeks to enhance and broaden the engagement and deliberation about how governance challenges affect sustainability in the global maritime supply chain, both inside and outside the academic world, thus making it relevant for researchers as well as the industry.
- The conference provided a fantastic opportunity for the university and industry partners from two continents to meet and discuss governance issues in relation to climate and environmental challenges, taking a broad perspective on the entire maritime supply chain. After the conference the university partners reconvened on day 2 to reflect on yesterday’s industry presentations, discuss ongoing research and develop an expanded research plan for the coming years, says Henrik Sornn-Friese, Associate Professor and Director of CBS Maritime.
Download the 
Governance Challenges for a Sustainable Maritime Supply Chain Program (PDF)
Future of the partnership
The conference was a landmark event for the partnership as it brought partners together from Canada, Europe, and USA to sustain and advance the research partnership. The partnership is managed by CBS Maritime and Centre for Transportation Studies at Sauder School of Business and has participation of researchers from 19 universities in Asia, Europe and North America as well as 13 industry partners from Canada and Denmark. The partners have been invited by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) in Canada to apply for a 6-year Partnership Grant. If successful with the application, the new grant will broaden the collaboration in the partnership, which was established in 2015 with a Partnership Development Grant from the SSHRC.
Download the presentations
Richard Clayton (IHS Maritime and Trade) Leading the Voyage Towards a Sustainable Maritime Supply Chain (PDF)
Valdemar Ehlers (Danish Maritime) Combined Efforts for Safer, Greener and More Fuel Efficient Ships (PDF)
Bjarne Løf Henriksen (Danish Ports) Governance Challenges for a Sustainable Maritime Supply Chain (PDF)
Jesper Stubkjaer (Danish Shipowners’ Association) Navigating Responsibly - Danish Shipowners' Association’s Approach to Environment and Climate Change (PDF)
Olaf Merk (ITF/OECD) Shipping Emissions in Ports (PDF)
Mads Stensen (Maersk Line) Lifting Supply Chain Sustainability (PDF)
Angie Farrag-Thibault (BSR Transport and Logistics) Steering a Collaborative Leadership Strategy in Container Shipping (PDF)
Paul Holthus (World Ocean Council)
Global Ocean Industry Leadership in Governance for a Sustainable Maritime Supply Chain (PDF)
The project is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and brings together economists, management scholars and political scientists and also has participation by partners from industry and government.
Read more about CBS Maritime
For further information please contact Henrik Sornn-Friese, Associate Professor and Director of CBS Maritime