All in the same boat!

To raise public awareness of the maritime industry’s economic, social and environmental importance, the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (known in Quebec as SODES) launched its “All in the Same Boat” campaign on Oct. 6th.

The campaign shines a light on an industry that transports 110 million tonnes of goods annually and generates jobs throughout the Province of Quebec with a network of 20 ports. More than 80% of the world’s consumer goods are transported by ships. In SODES’ view, promoting the maritime industry is all the more relevant given that the need to address climate change is a priority, and maritime transportation continues to be the greenest mode. “One ship transports the equivalent commodities of 301 train cars or 963 trucks,” relates Mathieu St-Pierre, the SODES president and CEO.

In the St. Lawrence region alone, more than 35 companies – ship owners, port authorities, terminal operators and the Seaway corporation – are Green Marine certified. These participants are committed to continual improvement in their environmental performance and already exceed regulatory requirements. The performance of these participants is measured annually on a dozen indicators, reviewed by an external independent verifier, with the individual results published.

The campaign has been running for several weeks in October to cast a light on the three themes through print, digital media as well as radio and video ads. Keep an eye out for the environmental capsule that features one of Green Marine’s founding members: CSL.

For more information on the campaign, visit the SODES website or click here to watch the environmental capsule (in French with English subtitles).