Securing a port's future through Circular Economy: Experiences from the Port of Gävle in contributing to sustainability

Ports are an important player in the world, due to their role in global production and distributions systems. They are major intermodal transport hubs, linking the sea to the land. For all ports, a key requirement for commercial and economic viability is to retain ships using them and to remain accessible to those ships. Ports need to find approaches to help them remain open. They must ensure their continued economic viability. At the same time, they face increasing pressure to become more environmentally and socially conscious. This paper examines the approach taken by the Port of Gävle, Sweden, which used contaminated dredged materials to create new land using principles of Circular Economy. The paper illustrates that using Circular Economy principles can be a viable way in securing a port’s future and contributing to its sustainability, and that of the city/region where it operates.