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Anchoring the green in the blue: leverage points towards sustainable development at three selected seaports in Sweden

Auber, Vilmos LU (2025) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20251
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Despite ongoing global political uncertainties, international trade and maritime shipping continue to expand, underscoring the urgent need for integrating sustainability in the growing port industry. This thesis applies the leverage points framework to assess sustainability initiatives at the Swedish seaports of Gothenburg, Helsingborg, and Ystad, which collectively manage over one-third of the nation’s goods imports. Drawing on interviews and deductive document analysis, it was found that most environmental interventions target parameters within ports' direct control, with some enhancing beneficial systemic feedback loops. Port system structures are evolving through enhanced information flows and regulatory developments; however, deeper... (More)
Despite ongoing global political uncertainties, international trade and maritime shipping continue to expand, underscoring the urgent need for integrating sustainability in the growing port industry. This thesis applies the leverage points framework to assess sustainability initiatives at the Swedish seaports of Gothenburg, Helsingborg, and Ystad, which collectively manage over one-third of the nation’s goods imports. Drawing on interviews and deductive document analysis, it was found that most environmental interventions target parameters within ports' direct control, with some enhancing beneficial systemic feedback loops. Port system structures are evolving through enhanced information flows and regulatory developments; however, deeper systemic transformations are not yet evident. While the sector demonstrates progress, shifts in fundamental mental models remain limited aside from goal-setting. These limitations are largely shaped by feasibility challenges and profit-oriented operational models. The findings highlight the importance of further research to enable broader, system-wide change in port sustainability strategies. (Less)
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author
Auber, Vilmos LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
sustainable port development, green port initiatives, adaptation and mitigation, strategic goal setting, performance monitoring, maritime sector transformation, sustainability science
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2025:001
language
English
id
9191354
date added to LUP
2025-06-03 10:10:45
date last changed
2025-06-03 10:10:45
@misc{9191354,
  abstract     = {{Despite ongoing global political uncertainties, international trade and maritime shipping continue to expand, underscoring the urgent need for integrating sustainability in the growing port industry. This thesis applies the leverage points framework to assess sustainability initiatives at the Swedish seaports of Gothenburg, Helsingborg, and Ystad, which collectively manage over one-third of the nation’s goods imports. Drawing on interviews and deductive document analysis, it was found that most environmental interventions target parameters within ports' direct control, with some enhancing beneficial systemic feedback loops. Port system structures are evolving through enhanced information flows and regulatory developments; however, deeper systemic transformations are not yet evident. While the sector demonstrates progress, shifts in fundamental mental models remain limited aside from goal-setting. These limitations are largely shaped by feasibility challenges and profit-oriented operational models. The findings highlight the importance of further research to enable broader, system-wide change in port sustainability strategies.}},
  author       = {{Auber, Vilmos}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Anchoring the green in the blue: leverage points towards sustainable development at three selected seaports in Sweden}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}