Our commitment to our environmental obligations is central to our activities; therefore, our Environmental Policy (below) seeks to ensure we manage our obligations to the environment in a morally responsible manner, whilst continuing to develop our business to meet the needs of our customers.
ABP’s key environmental policy commitments are listed below:
- Comply with all environmental legislation and other compliance obligations that relate to our business.
- Protect the environment, including preventing pollution and contamination and minimising disturbance by ensuring that each business unit has the best tools in place to operate effectively.
- Respond to environmental incidents or emergencies in order to reduce our impact upon the environment.
- Provide appropriate and relevant training and environmental information to all colleagues working for or on behalf of ABP.
- Strengthen our business resilience and prepare for the consequences of climate change.
- Target continual environmental improvement and set measurable environmental targets and objectives.
- Pursue the efficient and responsible use of natural resources ensuring that energy, water efficiency, waste and carbon reductions are integrated into business decision making.
- Manage and aim to reduce the environmental impacts of our operations, through a process of risk assessment, audit, review, training and guidance.
- Communicate and engage on environmental matters with employees, stakeholders and port users.
- Manage all of the above via a compliance management system, which is integrated with other business processes.
Download ABP Environmental and Energy Policy
How we manage the Environment
At ABP, we endeavour to manage our obligations to the environment in a morally responsible manner, and develop our business to meet the needs of our customers in a way which has due regard for sustainable development both for business and the environment.
We have a centrally-led environmental policy and compliance management system that targets our efforts in a coordinated way and provides support and guidance to each of our business units. The key themes of our environmental management can be summarised as:
Managing risks: The key mechanisms by which we manage our operational risks are by providing information and guidance, developing, risk assessments, and undertaking audits of our operations. We also ensure all our ports are ready for when an incident does happen, with well tested plans in place.
Resource Efficiency and Carbon reduction: Carbon management, waste reduction and improved resource efficiency remain key business priorities for ABP, with resource efficiency teams across the company looking at continual improvements that can be made.
Developing responsibly: We seek to ensure our developments are designed to reduce environmental risk or impacts during their construction and operation, and we have many examples of where we have successfully balanced the needs of nature in the highly protected estuaries and coastline surrounding our ports with the need for port development.
Responsibilities and training: The ultimate responsibility for sustainable development issues lies with our Chief Executive, who is supported by the Quality and Compliance Director, the group’s central environmental team and environmental coordinators in each business unit. Our environmental team all receive training and support across a wide range of environmental subjects from introductory programmes to more specialised areas such as waste management.
We also work closely with ABP Marine Environmental Research (ABPmer), which has particular expertise in assessing any impacts new developments may have on hydrodynamic and sedimentary processes and offers a full range of services including navigation, mooring, and dredging.
Beneficial use of dredged material:
Within ABP, we aim to facilitate beneficial use opportunities for our dredged material as far as we can. We maintain a central register of our dredging and disposal operations – therefore if you have a project you are planning that you think could incorporate dredged sediments please get in touch: environment@abports.co.uk
Managing operational risk
The key mechanisms by which we manage our operational risks are by providing information and guidance, developing, risk assessments, and undertaking audits of our operations.
We ensure we have fit for purpose centrally led policies and procedures for all sites to follow, to ensure our operations remain legally compliant and we seek to reduce environmental risks.
Environmental risk assessment of our operations is also a central part to our compliance management system and the continuing rolling programme of internal audits we carry out to identify continual improvement opportunities. We place a great deal of emphasis on sharing expertise and best practices across our ports to ensure we’re operating at best consistently across the company.
The delivery of the correct training and development opportunities is also key to managing our environmental risks, to ensure all our personnel have the required competencies, especially for those with compliance responsibilities.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain. Associated British Ports (ABP) welcomes the opportunity to reinforce ABP’s commitment to operating in an ethical manner with integrity, and to affirm ABP’s commitment to ensuring that no slavery, forced labour or human trafficking takes place in ABP’s supply chain or in any part of ABP’s business.
ABP does not tolerate or condone abuse of human rights within any part of ABP's supply chain or business and will take seriously any allegations that human rights are not being properly respected.
Our full Modern Slavery Transparency Statement can be viewed here
ABP is committed to ensuring that the highest ethical standards are adopted in all of its business practices. Any suspected malpractice can be reported via the Whistleblowing Hotline, which is open to all employees, suppliers, customers, or other interested parties.
ABP's Whistleblowing Hotline is operated by Expolink. It is an independent, confidential telephone hotline service and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Expolink ensures anonymity is maintained.
Freephone hotline number: 0800 374 199