Rotterdam. First port of call for the clean economy of tomorrow.
Rotterdam is the gateway of Europe. Here, the conditions for a better economy and a healthier planet converge like nowhere else. One Planet Port offers the vision and the roadmap for a real change of course. Building a port that is clean, fair, strong – and stays within what the planet can handle.
One Planet Port is an independent organisation working to transform the Port of Rotterdam into a port that operates within planetary limits without sacrificing economic strength.
Many sustainability strategies focus narrowly on small steps towards greening. We go further.
Together with researchers, residents and policymakers we are building a comprehensive, science-based vision for how the port as a whole can change – on climate, nitrogen, biodiversity, plastics and ocean health.
Why Rotterdam?
Rotterdam is the logistical heart of Europe. What passes through this gateway shapes what the global economy does to the planet. That provides a position of unique leverage. A One Planet Port uses it, not by withdrawing from world trade, but by changing the conditions under which that trade takes place. Rotterdam would no longer be a transit port for profit and growth at any cost, no matter the harm, but a gateway for trade that is sustainable in the long term.
This can happen without job losses and with benefits for the majority, not a small part of society. And with room for nature and a clean environment. This is not idealism. Rotterdam sits in a delta, vulnerable to rising sea levels, freshwater scarcity and nitrogen excess. A One Planet Port is one of strategic self-interest – and a blueprint for ports worldwide. The knowledge, the scale and the position are there to put the ideas into practice rapidly.
Our point of departure: the One Planet Port Vision Report
A change of course requires a compass. That is why we developed a concrete, science-based report that shows how the Port of Rotterdam can genuinely transform – not through isolated measures, but through a fundamentally different understanding of what a port is and what it sends out into the world and what it can be.
What's next?
The One Planet Port Vision Report is our point of departure. A concrete, science-based answer to how one of the world’s largest ports can truly change.
But a report alone changes nothing. The next step is to turn the vision into policy, into collaboration, into action. That requires everyone who understands what is at stake – researchers, businesses, policymakers, residents, and anyone who believes things can be done differently.
Want to think along with us? Do you have knowledge, a network, or resources to contribute? As an independent NGO, we depend on people and organisations who support our mission. Get in touch, or support our work directly.
Download our Vision Report, get in touch using the form below, our join our mailing list.
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