Reflections from Europe Forum 2026: Harbours of Change Turning Circular Economy Ambitions into Action in Baltic Sea Ports

Organised by Circular Ports partner Centrum Balticum Foundation, the session Harbours of Change: Circular Economy in Baltic Sea Ports explored both the strategic framework for circularity and concrete solutions already being tested and implemented around the Baltic Sea Region.

Taking place on Baltic Sea Day, the session attracted a strong audience at Turku City Theatre as well as viewers online. Throughout the session, one message became clear: ports are much more than transport hubs. Their concentration of industries, infrastructure, material flows and different actors also gives them significant potential to become hubs for circular economy.

From regional strategies to practical action

Milla Harju highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in turning circular economy strategies into practical action.

Milla Harju, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and EUSBSR Policy Area Ship Coordinator, opened the session by placing circular economy in ports within the wider Baltic Sea Region context.

that many of the challenges facing the Baltic Sea pass beyond national and sectoral borders, making cooperation and knowledge-sharing essential between projects and ports. Projects such as Circular Ports can help bridge the gap between strategy and practice by testing solutions in real port environments and sharing successful approaches across the region.  A key challenge ahead is how to move from individual pilots towards wider implementation — and this is where PA Ship’s role comes in: not to implement individual solutions itself, but to provide a platform for cooperation and help projects like Circular Ports reach a wider regional audience.

Circularity in everyday port operations

Markku Alahäme, Technical Director at the Port of Turku, brought the discussion from the strategic level to concrete solutions already in use in Turku, showing how circular economy principles are already being incorporated into everyday port operations.

The Port of Turku’s environmental work is guided by its environmental programme, with goals including a healthy marine environment and carbon neutrality. Alahäme presented several examples of how waste and materials are already being kept in circulation.

Examples from Turku range from turning food waste from vessels into biogas and in the port area, recycling construction materials to finding more sustainable uses for dredged material. Together, they demonstrate how circularity can advance step by step by finding new uses for materials that might otherwise be treated as waste.

Markku Alahäme presented practical examples of circular economy solutions already in use at the Port of Turku.

Circular Ports: Advancing circular economy across Baltic Sea ports

Stefan Breitenbach, Head of Project Department at Port of Hamburg Marketing and representative of the Circular Ports Lead Partner, introduced the project and its six pilots around the Baltic Sea Region.

Breitenbach highlighted why ports offer particularly promising environments for circular economy: industries, logistics, infrastructure and large material flows are concentrated in the same areas, creating opportunities for cooperation and industrial symbiosis. Circular Ports explores how these opportunities can be turned into technically feasible and economically viable solutions, while also encouraging cooperation and wider systemic change in port communities.

Stefan Breitenbach introduced the Circular Ports project and its work to advance circular economy solutions across Baltic Sea ports.

Regulation is another major focus of the project. Each pilot works with a locally developed regulatory sandbox approach to explore where existing rules may prevent circular practices and how new solutions can be tested together with authorities. Circular Ports is also developing practical tools for ports, including a Circular Economy Handbook, procurement guidance and a toolbox that will bring together the project’s results and methods.

Turning bulk cargo spillage from waste into a resource – Polish pilot

Tomasz Laskowicz, Phd from the University of Gdańsk, and Oskar Wanat, Specialist for Trade and Secondary Raw Materials from Poland-based waste management company Metkom, presented the Polish Circular Ports pilot, which explores how residues from bulk cargo handling can be recovered and returned to circulation instead of being treated as waste.

The pilot combines research with practical implementation at the OT Port of Gdynia. Materials that were previously mixed together and sent to landfill are now separated according to their potential use. Agricultural residues can be recovered through biogas production, while other fractions can be recycled as secondary raw materials in ceramic products.

Tomasz Laskowicz and Oskar Wanat presented the Polish Circular Ports pilot, which explores how bulk cargo residues can be turned from waste into valuable resources.

The pilot also highlights the importance of dialogue, trust-building and openness between researchers, businesses and port operators. Beyond the environmental benefits, finding new uses for waste streams can also reduce disposal costs and create economic value – an important factor when considering how circular solutions could be scaled and replicated elsewhere.

A ship may reach the end of its life; its value does not – Hamburg pilot

A pre-recorded presentation from Murat Bayram, Director of Non-Ferrous Activities at EMR Group, introduced the Hamburg pilot, which explores the circular potential of end-of-life ships and boats.

Instead of viewing an end-of-life vessel simply as waste, the pilot considers it as a source of valuable materials such as steel, copper, cables and machinery that could be recovered and returned to industrial use. The pilot explores how Hamburg’s existing maritime and recycling infrastructure could support such a model, while also considering its technical, regulatory and economic feasibility.

The presentation captured the idea in a simple message: “A ship ends, its value doesn’t.”

What will it take for ports to become true harbours of change – and contribute to a healthier Baltic Sea?

The session concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Kirsi Ahlman, Deputy Director of Centrum Balticum Foundation. On Baltic Sea Day, the speakers reflected on how circular ports can contribute not only to more efficient operations, but also to a healthier Baltic Sea.

The discussion highlighted several ways in which the two goals can go hand in hand. Markku Alahäme stressed that sustainable solutions may also require investment, while Stefan Breitenbach pointed to electrification and more efficient use of resources as ways to reduce the environmental impact of port operations. Oskar Wanat emphasised that treating waste as a resource can reduce the risk of materials ending up in the environment, highlighting the recovery and reuse of plastics from discarded fishing nets as one practical example.

Asked what policymakers and businesses should take away from the session, Milla Harju encouraged policymakers to make use of practical knowledge from projects when developing regulation, so that existing rules do not unnecessarily hinder circular solutions. Tomasz Laskowicz, in turn, highlighted the importance of cooperation between businesses and researchers – and reminded that circular solutions can bring not only environmental benefits but also tangible cost savings.

The discussion underlined that environmental benefits, economic viability, supportive regulation and cooperation all have a role to play in scaling circular solutions. Asked whether ports can truly become harbours of change and play a greater role in advancing the circular economy, the panel was unanimous: yes.

The panel discussion explored how circular ports can contribute to a healthier Baltic Sea and what is needed to scale circular solutions.

Watch the full Harbours of Change: Circular Economy in Baltic Sea Ports session in the Europe Forum Youtube livestream recording [1:15:00–2:00:00]: Harbours of Change: Circular Economy in Baltic Sea Ports, 27th August 2026 – Europe Forum

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