Sustainability & Innovation – 24/04/2025

The second session of the series explored the intersection of sustainability and innovation in the maritime sector, highlighting the role of sustainable finance, ESG frameworks, and impact-driven technologies in supporting environmental goals and accelerating progress toward the SDGs.

Dr. Conrad Landis provided a detailed overview of sustainable finance, focusing on the quantification of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the integration of ESG metrics into corporate practices. He emphasized the urgent need for standardized, transparent approaches to sustainability reporting to ensure accountability and drive meaningful impact.

Aim: This session explored how sustainability goals can be quantified and integrated into corporate practices through the lens of ESG metrics. Dr. Landis discussed the implications of the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and highlighted the importance of standardized, measurable frameworks to support sustainable development at scale.

Learn more about Dr. Conrad Landis’ work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conrad-landis/?originalSubdomain=gr

For more on ATHENA Research Center, please visit: https://www.athenarc.gr/en/home

Alberto Carpanese from Sea The Change discussed the role of sustainability and innovation in the maritime sector, as well as key challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, water and air pollution, and the high costs tied to the sustainability transition. His presentation highlighted the importance of community engagement and social responsibility, calling for corporate practices that go beyond compliance to deliver measurable, positive impact.

Aim: This session examined how ESG strategies can be embedded into maritime innovation, tackling relevant critical issues. Alberto Carpanese highlighted the role of corporate responsibility, innovations in carbon capture, and the need for authentic community engagement in shaping a more sustainable industry.

Learn more about Alberto Carpanese’s work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alberto-carpanese-b0752a116/?originalSubdomain=it

For more on Sea The Change, please visit: https://seathechange.eu/en/

Chris Deranian from the Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aephoria (AE4RIA) presented an advanced optimization model aimed at minimizing the total cost of fleet operations. His approach integrates economic, environmental, and operational factors, alongside recent EU policy developments, to support more efficient and sustainable maritime decision-making.

Aim: This session introduced an optimization model that balances economic efficiency with environmental and regulatory demands. Chris Deranian outlined how the model incorporates operational data, EU sustainability policies, and cost factors to support smarter, greener decision-making in maritime fleet management.

Learn more about Chris Deranian’s work at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherderanian/

Explore the model on GitHub: https://github.com/Alamanos11/MaritimeGCH/tree/main

For more on AE4RIA, visit: https://ae4ria.org/