Global · Case study

Portos do Paraná, first public port in Brazil with EcoPorts PERS certification

Port of Paranaguá, Paraná State, BrazilFirst PERS certification announced June 2023; second certification reported June 2026

Portos do Paraná is the public authority that runs the ports of Paranaguá and Antonina in southern Brazil. The complex covers about 4.1 million square meters, with 5,347 meters of quays and jetties and 24 berths (Fundación Valenciaport, 2025). In June 2023 Paranaguá became the first Brazilian public port to achieve EcoPorts PERS certification (Portos do Paraná, 2023). At that time the only other certified port in Brazil was the privately owned Açu Port (Portos do Paraná, 2023). The port authority said its goal was to reach high environmental and operational standards in line with global good practice (Portos do Paraná, 2023).

Approach:

Start with self-assessment. The port first completed the EcoPorts Self Diagnosis Method, a pre-assessment, before seeking certification. The full process took nearly three years (Portos do Paraná, 2023).

Choose a port-specific standard. ECOSLC describes PERS as the only environmental and sustainability management standard tailored to the specific roles and responsibilities of ports. Certified ports must document their main environmental and sustainability impacts and set up an improvement process (ECOSLC Foundation, 2026).

Meet the PERS requirements. PERS requires an environmental policy declaration, compliance with legal requirements, defined responsibilities and resources, a compliance review, and a biannual environmental report with examples of good practice (Portos do Paraná, 2023). The standard follows the principles of ISO 14001 but is written for port activities (Portos do Paraná, 2023).

Use independent verification. The review was carried out by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, an independent body (Portos do Paraná, 2023). The 2026 renewal was validated by LRQA Netherlands (ECOSLC Foundation, 2026).

Results:

Paranaguá received PERS certification in 2023, valid for two years (Portos do Paraná, 2023).

ECOSLC reported that the port achieved PERS certification for the second time in June 2026 (ECOSLC Foundation, 2026), and the port is listed as PERS certified in the EcoPorts network (ECOSLC Foundation, 2026).

Transferability:

Paranaguá shows that a public port authority in a developing economy can meet the PERS standard. DMC ports can follow the same sequence: complete the free Self Diagnosis Method, close gaps against the PERS requirements, and then seek independent verification. Ports should plan for a multi-year preparation period and for renewal every two years. Ports can also use the PERS management framework as a starting point for later climate planning.

Sources

All information used for this case study was based on publicly available resources.