Contecon Guayaquil is LatAm's First Carbon-Neutral Port

Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA) became the first port in South America to obtain a carbon-neutral certification, with the Ecuador Ministry of Environment and environmental ratings agency, Sambito SA, recognizing the company’s strong and priority commitment to the environment.

According to ICTSI, the operator of the Port, the certification marking CGSA’s compliance to ISO 14064-1 standards lauds the company’s policies that are directed and translated towards greater sustainability initiatives, as well as the incorporation of technologies that reduces the operation’s impact to Ecuador’s largest and premier maritime gateway.

“This carbon neutral certification awarded to Contecon Guayaquil is a testament of our firm and unbreakable commitment to preserve the environment in our own way. This certification highlights, above all, a conviction and responsibility to guarantee eco-friendly and sustainable operations with less contaminating to the environment. This is our contribution for a better world,” says José Antonio Contreras, CGSA chief executive officer.

Contreras received CGSA’s ISO 14064-1 compliance plaque from Gustavo Manrique, President of Sambito, and Evelyn Montalván, Guayas Provincial Director of the Ministry of the Environment in a ceremony held last 13 December 2018.

While a lot of work is required to offset the Port of Guayaquil’s energy demands from its day-to-day operations, CGSA, as part of its continuing compliance, has set-up a team to verify and create mechanisms to lower the port’s industrial emissions.