Implementing measures for environmental sustainability: barriers and drivers in Norwegian ports

Despite extensive literature on port sustainability, research has so far neglected to explicitly investigate the empirical experiences with implementing measures that improve ports' environmental sustainability. This study abates this deficiency by investigating what measures Norwegian ports implement to improve their environmental sustainability and what drivers and barriers they associate with such implementation. We rely on a quantitative survey among 96 Norwegian ports, and find that 82 % of ports have implemented at least one measure to improve environmental sustainability. Most prominent is shore power, followed by increased energy efficiency. We find support from owners and surroundings to be prominent in sustainability efforts and that political governance and steering from port owners are important drivers. This study invites further research to present complementary empirical accounts and studies targeting sustainability efforts in different port contexts. This study calls for the port community to more strongly raise port sustainability on the political agenda.