Nokian Tyres gives the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) a Baltic Sea commitment for the years 2023–2026. Nokian Tyres’ commitment is focused on cooperation in BSAG’s Ship Waste Action initiative. The goal of the initiative is to establish an operating model in which wastewater from cargo ships is discharged in the harbor and the utilization of nutrients is enabled by circular economy solutions.
“The discharge of wastewater from cargo ships into the sea is still legal, and many shippers may not even know that wastewater from their transports is likely to end up in the Baltic Sea. We want to contribute to changing this practice. Discharging wastewater from marine transports to land reduces the environmental burden of our supply chain and contributes to our sustainability work,” says Teppo Huovila, VP Quality and Sustainability at Nokian Tyres.
“With our commitment, we require the cargo ships under direct shipping company contracts to discharge wastewaters in the reception facilities in Finnish ports. We also advise the forwarding agents to follow the same rule/principle when handling our cargo. Ship Waste Action is one of the criteria influencing the selection of freight carriers in our future freight tenders,” Huovila says.
A global company can have an influence also outside of Finland and the Baltic Sea
With its commitment, Nokian Tyres also promotes circular economy regarding ship waste. The company increases shipping companies’ and forwarding agents’ awareness about the possibilities of discharging wastewater not only in Finnish ports, but also in other ports in the Baltic Sea. In addition, the company increases its own contractual partners’ awareness about the possibilities of circular economy regarding ship waste also in its sea transports outside the Baltic Sea.
“Nokian Tyres transports cargo on all the world’s most important shipping routes, so this commitment affects the operations of several shipping companies, ships and ports. Nokian Tyres’ measures serve as an example and fuels other companies that use sea transport to promote responsible shipping,” says Mia Hytti, Project Manager in Marine Traffic at BSAG. The Baltic Sea Action Group is a non-profit foundation founded in Finland in 2008, whose goal is to restore the good ecological balance of the Baltic Sea under changing climate conditions. Nokian Tyres’ Baltic Sea commitment can be found on BSAG’s website. As part of the commitment, Nokian Tyres supports BSAG’s work for the Baltic Sea with an annual donation.
