Quality, prevention and sustainability

Quality, prevention and sustainability

The Port Authority of Vilagarcía has as an inalienable objective the full satisfaction of its users through the provision of infrastructures adapted to the current and medium-term needs of its clients or potential clients, as well as through the provision of agile, efficient and top quality services. All this with the aim of achieving excellence in the exercise of the competences and the development of the functions entrusted to it. The Port Authority's commitments in this area are included in its Quality, Environment and Occupational Risk Prevention Policy.

The efforts made in these areas have borne fruit such as obtaining the UNE-EN-ISO 9001: 2015 certifications for quality management; UNE-EN-ISO 14001: 2015, on environmental management; and UNE-EN-ISO 45001: 2018 on occupational health and safety management.

ISO Certificates

The ISO 9001 Standard specifies the requirements for a quality management system, while helping to evaluate and improve user satisfaction and to establish controls and measures for continuous improvement.

ISO 9001 Certificate

ISO 14001 focuses on the requirements for an environmental management system in the organization, so as to develop and implement an environmental policy and objectives. The geographical location of the Port Authority in the Ría de Arousa and the fact that it shares an area of influence with other economic sectors such as tourism, fishing or aquaculture, makes the port of Vilagarcia attach special importance to this certification, which contributes to monitoring and improving its environmental performance.

ISO 14001 Certificate

The new ISO 45001 -successor of the OHSAS 18001 certificate- details the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system that allows the development and implementation of a policy and objectives in accordance with legal requirements and that have a positive impact not only on the health and safety at work, but also the working conditions of the workforce, the participation of employees and their involvement in improvements.

ISO 45001 Certificate

Certificación ISCC

Logo ISCC

The Port Authority also has an external verification of its emissions inventory, not only with regard to the organization itself, but also of the companies located in the port area. The Port Authority has carried out the calculation of the emissions of the port area since 2016 and for scopes 1, 2 and 3.

  • Scope 1 refers to the emissions generated directly by the organization itself on site (heating, fuels ...). ).
  • Scope 2 refers to the emissions generated by the production of electricity used by the organization..
  • Scope 3 refers to other indirect emissions, and in the case of the calculation made by the Vilagarcía Port Authority, it refers mainly to the emissions made by the port community in terms of its energy consumption in the port area (fuels , heating, air conditioning, electrical energy ...), as well as that directly associated with the logistics and transport activities that take place on the land of the public port domain and on the water areas under the jurisdiction of the port.

Now, this emission calculation has been verified by an independent third party, which is an incentive to continue working to reduce emissions. The body that has verified the emissions of the port of Vilagarcía, ISCC, is one of the leading systems for sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions. The European Commission recognized ISCC as one of the first certification systems to meet the requirements of the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED). 

ISCC Certificate

In addition to calculating its carbon footprint, the Port Authority also offsets its emissions as an organization (scopes 1 and 2). The Zero Emissions Footprint means that the direct emissions generated by the entity are equal to those avoided with the compensation actions. The certification implies recognition of the climate neutrality of the Vilagarcía Port Authority.

Carbon footprint offset cerfiticate

Credit withdrawal certificate

Ecoports Network
Red Ecoports

Another example of the involvement of the port of Vilagarcía in this matter is its integration into the EcoPorts network, a voluntary association of European ports that share a common concern for sustainability and respect for the environment. EcoPorts is an organization of green ports whose objective is to facilitate the exchange of experiences and knowledge among its members, in order to contribute to the improvement of the environmental efficiency of the entire European port sector. For more information about this initiative visit the website www.ecoports.com

Sustainability

Sustainability is one of the pillars of port planning and management, due to its importance in achieving two essential objectives: on the one hand, achieving port development that is committed to the environment and in accordance with available resources, so as to contribute to a harmonious and balanced growth that does not call into question the desirable quality standards of future generations; and on the other hand, to contribute to an integrated transport system, which favors the achievement of sustainable mobility, in line with the European Union guidelines in this matter.

The sustainability report is the document that allows evaluating the management of the Port Authority in this area, incorporating a set of indicators that provide information on the diagnosis of the problems that affect it, on the strategies adopted and on the degree of performance in relation to with the institutional, economic, social and environmental dimensions of port activity.

The publication of the sustainability report is one more step in the Port Authority's commitment to transparency and good management practices, which are essential to achieve the triple objective of sustainability: economic benefit, environmental balance and social development.

The sustainability report is available for download in the Spanish and Galician versions of this site (Spanish language only).