The Role of Port Authorities in Sustainable Development. The General CSR Mindset Framework for Port Authorities. A look on North-West European Ports

Ports are receiving increased pressure from society and stakeholders to become more sustainable. While international organizations are introducing programs and global efforts are made, the Port Authority (PA) can implement its own programs and initiatives in the sustainability trend. While efforts are made in the port sector to become more sustainable, it is important to understand what the motivation behind these efforts are. The motivation for sustainable development by firms can be related to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mindset of firms. This thesis results into a framework on the CSR mindset of PAs, based on the main findings of several interviews. The interviews are conducted with management or policy advisors of PAs and stakeholders of the port. The CSR mindset ranges from inactive, reactive, active to proactive. The findings of the interviews lead PA motivations which ranges from a reactive towards a proactive mindset. This framework can provide the base for future research to examine the mindset of different types of PAs and in different regions. This will create more accurate policies and regulation on the sustainable development of the port sector. The views stated in this thesis are those of the author and not necessarily those of Erasmus School of Economics or Erasmus University Rotterdam.