Maritime and Commercial procurement company GenPro continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability with its Blue Day 2022: Ocean Circular Economy – Reducing the Environmental Footprint of the Marine Supply Chain panel discussion which took place on the 18^th November 2022 in Limassol, Cyprus.

The event, which was run as a hybrid discussion, welcomed an audience from over 20 countries and 60 organisations around the world. It was opened by Cypriot Shipping Deputy Minister, Vasillios Demetriades, who stressed the importance of making sure that ambition translates into action.

Prior to the discussion, GenPro showed a video from Ocean Cleanup, an organisation working to reduce ocean plastic by 90%. The video illustrated the consequences of the massive build-up of ocean plastics and also demonstrated how the company is implementing strategies to clean up the oceans by harvesting plastic.

Panel moderator, GenPro’s Compliance and Sustainability Senior Manager, Spiros Tsigaridas, welcomed the distinguished speakers: Cathrin Prikker, Director Business Development & Sales, TOP GLORY MARINE; Stephen Alexander, COO & Secretary General, IMPA; Alexandros Josephides, Deputy Director General/Marine Manager, CYPRUS SHIPPING CHAMBER; and Elias Yfantis, Senior Scientist, CYPRUS MARINE AND MARITIME INSTITUTE.

Questions addressed by the panel included: Which are the main obstacles tackling or delaying the change in the maritime supply chain today? Through new regulations and challenges the marine supply chain organisations, they need to survive. They need to remain competitive. What is the way forward to adapt and achieve that? Do you consider necessary a common sustainability culture in the marine supply chain industry?

Although answers varied, there were some common threads – the need to collaborate in order to find an accepted sustainability culture throughout the entire supply chain, and indeed throughout the entire industry, as well the need for further investment in both people and new technologies. It was also stressed that sustainability must include each of the 4 Ps: People, Planet, Profit and Purpose, as without profit companies cannot survive.

In her closing remarks, Maria Theodosiou, GenPro’s Managing Director, concluded: “It is beyond any doubt that, in order for the world to see the positive results it deserves, in a timeframe we deserve, we all need to take responsibility for the problem and take action today.”