Sustainable Maritime Logistics : Sustainable Innovations and Sustainability Reporting in Finland

Abstract

As maritime transport plays a vital role in Finland’s international trade, understanding how the industry adapts to sustainability challenges is crucial. This thesis explores how Finnish maritime logistics companies incorporate sustainable innovations and sustainability reporting (SR) practices. Two semi-structured interviews with professionals in the field of maritime logistics were conducted to collect empirical data for this study. Furthermore, a total of 26 official sustainability-related reports were examined. These documents, which were released by eight Finnish businesses involved in maritime logistics, offered insightful information about their most recent innovations, sustainability practices, and reporting strategies. According to the findings, Finland's leading position in sustainable maritime logistics is reflected by a number of sustainable innovations are including renewable energy, green vessels, innovations in technology, and digitalisation. Although businesses are making progress in sustainability, the study reveals that obstacles still exist. These include limited high costs, uncertainty, changing geopolitics, deficiency of government support, and lack of prioritisation. In addition to a variety of KPIs and alignment with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the majority of businesses use internal or ISO-based frameworks to report sustainability. Despite Finland's leadership in sustainable maritime logistics, further progress in digitalisation, collaboration, and government support is needed. The thesis supports existing knowledge by highlighting both achievements and areas for improvement.