Paper short abstract:

This presentation reports on the sustainability reporting initiative at the port of Antwerp, Belgium. Reflecting on our research, we aim to discuss this initiative as an example of co-production.

Paper long abstract:

In this presentation we aim to discuss the sustainability reporting initiative by the port of Antwerp, the second largest port in Europe. By means of 'stakeholder elicitation' and in interaction with the port's sustainability reporting initiative we investigated potentially meaningful indicators (mainly qualitative in nature) for environmental nuisance and citizen participation as aspects of responsible care. We established the particularity of this exercise as a form of regional sustainability reporting that is jointly initiated by public authorities and market players within the harbor community. In order to explore the embodied, emplaced experience of environmental nuisance in the port area and the discourses that accompany it, 22 in-depth interviews were organized with key actors from civil society. In addition, in a second stage focus group discussions with citizens were organized. Reflecting on our research outcomes, we argue that sustainability reporting initiatives not only produce new indicators and standards. They also contribute to the creation of a community identity, instigating yet another form of societal change. Through dialogue, identities are formed and a sense of community is established, as negotiating sustainability indicators ultimately involved negotiating the desired futures of an ideal harbor community.