Training to disseminate Clean Ports certification
Train trainers! This is the new stage in the development of Clean Ports certification, which recognizes the ecological and environmental approach of marinas. The Union des Ports de Plaisance Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur et Monaco (UPACA), at the origin of the creation of the certification in 2008, has joined forces with the CPIE Côte Provencale, an organisation specialised in training in the field of territorial development and environmental preservation, to create a training course at Ports Propres. While 51 of the 68 certified French ports are in the PACA region, Ports Propres is beginning to win new shipping basins. "It was becoming urgent to have trainers in the different French regions. Staff training is one of the 17 criteria verified by AFNOR as part of the award of the Clean Ports certification and we could not ensure this only from our region," explains Véronique Tourrel-Clément, UPACA's General Delegate.
Training session on Clean Ports
The first training session is in progress. The aim is to give the trainees the elements so that they can themselves teach marina staff how to use pollution control equipment and how to communicate effectively with boaters.
Ambitions in European marinas
Since 2011, the Clean Ports certification has been approved at European level. The network intends to develop outside the borders of France. 11 foreign marinas have already obtained the sesame. "Europe is a medium-term objective. Trainers should be trained by 2021 in other European countries," confirms Véronique Tourrel-Clément.
Clean Point of Clean Ports
Clean Ports: An independent certification and not a label
Initiated in the mid-2000s, the Clean Ports approach led to an independent certification set up with AFNOR. Each port undergoes an annual control audit and must be recertified every 3 years, a guarantee of seriousness that its initiator underlines. "It is a certification and not a label. There is an external and objective control by AFNOR and not by the creator of a label. The UPACA has no economic interest," insists Véronique Tourrel-Clément. At a time when environmental labels are flourishing, the approach seems commendable.
