Today, September 9, 2021, the public agency SPIRIT Slovenia organised a meeting in the Škocjanski zatok nature reserve and invited representatives of all 41 Slovenian companies and organisations that have been selected as Ambassadors of the Slovenian Economy for their breakthrough solutions in the framework of the “I FEEL SLOVENIA. GREEN. CREATIVE. SMART” communication campaign. As heard at the meeting, the title of Ambassador of the Slovenian Economy is seen by the selected companies as a great honour, but also as a great responsibility, as this means that they are representing not only themselves, but the entire country abroad. The family of ambassadors is very diverse: it includes micro-, small-, medium- and large-size enterprises, start-ups and growing companies, those with a long tradition, and also highly successful hidden champions, the number of which places the Slovenian economy among the world’s top such businesses. Together they form an excellent representative image of the Slovenian economy. Luka Koper became part of this group last year, and we used the meeting to present our views on sustainable development to the companies and to give them a live demonstration of our projects in the port.
At the Port of Koper, we are developing best practices in all areas of sustainable development, and we are recognised for this in both the domestic and international environment. We comprehensively manage the impacts of dust emissions, noise and light pollution, and have systems in place for marine protection, waste management and energy efficiency. We are introducing systems to ensure better energy efficiency through the electrification of cargo-handling equipment and other measures on equipment and infrastructure. Something that we should not ignore is the port’s geographical location, which allows for a shorter transport route from Asia and the eastern Mediterranean to the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. The shorter sea route to Koper ‒ compared to northern European ports ‒ means savings in time and energy consumption, and, as a result, lower emissions of both greenhouse gases and other harmful substances. The route by land is also more environmentally friendly, as around 60% of the cargo handled at the Port of Koper travels by rail.
The company has also adopted an environmental strategy: “The strategy of the Port of Koper is a living thing, which means that we are constantly upgrading and supplementing it. We are currently working on electrification, on the one hand by replacing diesel-powered machinery and equipment with electric equivalents, which means a reduction in CO2 emissions and less noise, but we are also working intensively on long-term projects such as the installation of solar panels on the roofs of warehouses and electrical connections for ships. These are complex projects that also require significant financial resources. And there is no turning back, because the business community, our business partners, who, like us, are increasingly turning towards green logistics, are also demanding that we do the same,” said Dimitrij Zadel, President and CEO of the Port of Koper, at the meeting.
