Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropy in the Maritime Industry
By: Mahmoud Mansi
– Founder & Chairperson on NGOs Today
– Judge at the GULF Sustainability Awards, Author & Consultant
– President of OSHAssociation UK for Egypt’s Chapter
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Philanthropy have been recently a main pillar for driving organizations towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs), however on one hand not as much organizations are concerned with sustainable development goal number 14; Life below Water, and on the other hand maritime organizations that show concern towards community development are focusing on limited initiatives. A recent research conducted by NGOs Today on the Maritime Sector’s role in the Middle East towards SDG 14, shows that around 40% of Maritime students have not heard about SDGs in general and SDG 14 in specific. On the other hand, 46.5% of the Maritime workforce are unaware of SDG 14 objectives and their responsibilities towards it.
Ten CSR and Philanthropy Initiatives and Tips for the Maritime Industry:
1- Protect the Ocean from Home: In January 2016, the World Economic Forum published a report[1] which stated that if we continue to pollute the environment at the current rate, “by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans, by weight”. According to an article published in Dopper[2], “The plastic soup is a constant threat to marine life.” And most people “don’t necessarily see how they themselves can help solve this problem.” Therefore, creating awareness projects and campaigns targeting the public in order to educate people to apply smarter waste management approaches in their homes which will directly impact ocean pollution and climate change.
2- SDGs Training for Coastal Activities: This program is to increase sustainability awareness to all individuals and underground economy and workforce who engage in costal jobs and activities. An example to this sector is fishermen working on the shore and on fishing vessels.
3- Partnering with Charity Organizations for Medicine & Food Transfer: Through the shipping channels food a dedicated space on each vessel can be available for the transportation of any food and medicine to regions and countries in need while partnering with concerned charity organizations. The crew of the ship and the mariners can also dedicate part of their time through this process in dedicating the donations to the community.
4- Partnering with NGOs: When it comes to community work, ESG and sustainability it is always smarter to build partnerships with the experts in those field, which are the NGOs, and co-create projects together. Several contemporary researches, business models and reports resulting from the collaboration between NGOs and corporate.
5- Creating Innovation Awards for Youth Engagement: Corporate has three choices to acquire talent; buy, build and borrow. Corporate leaders reached a conclusion that youth and students are able to think out of the box and create new innovative solutions for the industry. These ideas can be generated through internships and workshops, yet a new best practice is initiating sustainability awards for youth to suggest innovative projects that serve the industry.
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6- Working on Ocean Sanitation Projects: Each maritime organization can dedicate part of its CSR activities, human resources and budget in fighting pollution and sanitizing local coasts in alignment with the government.
7- Diversity and Inclusion: Developing policies, initiatives and awareness campaigns inside to promote including different cultures, mindsets and talents in the workplace. The maritime industry is naturally a multi-cultural workplace yet more initiatives about communicating with different cultures, working with a gender balance mindset, and co-working with people with special needs.
8- Health and Safety Programs for Mariners: Physical health and safety has been a priority in the maritime industry, nowadays mental health became a vital trend in organizations. Therefore, maritime organizations are encouraged to develop mental wellness programs for their workforce to prevent and solve depression issues related to mariners spending long distances in the sea. An article published in SAFETY4SEA Magazine in September 2020[1] stated that “Over 25% of seafarers suffer from severe depression and almost 6% of deaths at sea is attributed to suicide,” and one of the reasons that causes the depression is due to “lack of Wi-Fi access on board” which makes seafarers feel isolated from friends, family and loved ones”.
9- Engage the Community: In each of the previously suggested initiatives, the organization can engage the community through launching volunteerism applications for the public to be involved.
10- Applying in Sustainability Awards: There are various international and regional business and sustainability awards that encourage organizations to submit their best practices and initiatives in human resources, learning, innovation, technology, CSR and sustainability. Maritime organizations are encouraged to apply in such awards, get recognized and learn from other organizations.
Our home is not limited to the land, but our home extends to the sea, we need to collaborate and worked further to make sure the public is aware of that.
*Article was previously published in The Arab Mariner Newsletter, Issue 8, 2022