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Global Compact and further contribute to the realisation of the SDGs was we provide an overview of the fundamental areas that make us successful
simply the right thing to do. and our business sustainable today, namely our care for the environment
In this regard, we believe that it is imperative that all relevant stake- and our commitment to inclusive social responsibility, health and safety,
holders, throughout the supply chain and the international community business ethics and the protection of human rights.
join forces to provide the private sector with an enabling environment to Our long-term vision will remain centred on these areas, as their promotion
operate and prosper. Sustainable development and the ambitions set up is in our DNA. One of our main priorities will be to continuously improve
by the Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change can only our environmental performance and make all possible efforts to comply
be achieved through concerted actions and win-win partnerships. with new regulations, such as the IMO’s requirement for a much more
“Shipping is indispensable to the world,” as the Secretary-General of the restrictive fuel sulphur cap to enter into force in 2020.
International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim said on World As we continue to expand our activities and our global presence, we have
Maritime Day in 2016. He stressed that “It is thanks to this global fleet and “It is thanks to this launched an assessment of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
global workforce of over one million seafarers that the import and export of global fleet and activities around the world to better translate our commitment to the United
goods on the scale necessary to sustain the modern world can take place.” Nations Global Compact into concrete actions. Further steps will also
Secretary-General Lim also highlighted that ships have “never been safer global workforce be taken to ensure the integration of the SDGs agenda into the MSC’s
and never been so environment-friendly as they are today” and that “sus- of over one million strategy. We will also establish a Global Maritime Policy and Government
tainable economic growth, employment, prosperity and stability can all be Affairs Department to be proactively involved in the international policy
enhanced through developing maritime trade, improving port infrastructure seafarers that the dialogue and further enhance our collaboration within the broad United
and efficiency, and promoting seafaring as a career – especially within import and export Nations system, especially the IMO, International Labour Organization
the developing world.” MSC fully embraces the IMO Secretary-General’s (ILO), and other relevant bodies.
views and we believe that companies like ours have a key role to play. Yet, of goods on the We look forward to working with all our stakeholders and the international
to ensure such positive returns on the international trade, the lands, the scale necessary to development community to explore ways to establish new innovative
populations and the environment, global efforts should be strengthened. partnerships, improve our business models and leverage our ongoing
The collaboration between the public and private sectors can have a catalytic sustain the modern efforts to foster sustainable development.
and transformative impact only if the right conditions are put in place world can take
and only if we all share responsibilities. Filling the current environmental
and social gaps will require tremendous financial efforts that cannot be place.”
afforded by individual companies on their own, especially after a decade
during which the market suffered and still suffers considerably. Geopolitical Mr. Kitack Lim Diego Aponte
uncertainties also affect and will continue to affect our business every Secretary-General of the International President and CEO
day. Therefore, we hope the international community will consider real Maritime Organization (IMO)
economic concerns and challenges, the emerging unpredictable global
threats and the increased costs of environmental regulations.
Being a commercial enterprise, MSC needs to remain competitive to
attract volumes; we need to preserve our reliability with our customers,
business partners, financial institutions and all other stakeholders to
maintain long-lasting and trustful partnerships. We need peace and
stability for our workers to ensure no disruption in our productivity and to
contribute further towards inclusive growth and social inclusion.
In our first report on sustainability for the United Nations Global Compact,

12 A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO MSC SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2016 13