This fall, I was granted an opportunity to work on a project with the shipyard in Turku, Meyer Turku. This so-called biodiversity project aims to provide a basis for a biodiversity program including short- and long-term action points for Meyer Turku. More specifically, the task has been to define biodiversity and identify what legislation regarding biodiversity is relevant for Meyer Turku.
The biodiversity project is a one-and-a-half-year-long project consisting of three work packages (WP). WP1 focuses on the legal aspects of reporting biodiversity legislation, WP2 on the shipyard’s current biodiversity status, and WP3 aims to identify potential actions to be taken and suggestions for a biodiversity program. I work on WP1 with another doctoral student and two professors from Åbo Akademi University.
My work on the project is to produce a report together with the others in WP1. It aims to help the shipyard better understand what current and (to some extent) future legislation and regulations are required for it to become “the most sustainable shipyard in the world.” The European Union (EU) has adopted reporting legislation that companies must adhere to to become more environmentally sustainable. These include, for instance, the EU Taxonomy Regulation and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Meyer Turku will have to report on matters of sustainability in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) regarding, among other things, general disclosures, impacts, risks, and opportunities.