The Cyprus Marine and Martine Institute is a nonprofit organization located in Limassol and Larcana. The company is dedicated to driving sustainable blue growth. While the company has many initiatives, it mainly focuses on finding sustainable practices to protect the ocean.
The first thing I learned about Supply Chain during our site visit to the nonprofit is that the current system is very inefficient. The way Maritime shipping operates also results in excessive pollution. Many companies’ supply chains are not optimizing their capabilities while also causing harm to the ocean’s ecosystem.
One of the solutions the nonprofit is working on for the problems in the supply chain is its ZEST program. The ZEST program includes constructing a mothership with autonomous capabilities. One of the goals of the boat is to generate zero emissions. If the company was successful, the supply chain would be greatly impacted, with greater optimization and lower harm to the environment.
One difference that I noticed between the nonprofit and other companies I’ve interacted with in the United States is the type of collaboration they had. The nonprofit worked with many other companies and universities in Cyprus, and their relationship seemed to be based on mutual support. This struck me as different from some business relationships in the United States since they tend to be mutually beneficial in terms of growth rather than support.
The nonprofit organization also has a program called Our Sea, which focuses on bringing people closer to the ocean. What this means is that the organization educates people to understand the current state of the sea and brings awareness to the damage that is being done to the aquatic environment. The Institute does this by hosting workshops, camps, field trips, and more. This particularly stuck out to me because it is different from the objectives that they explained previously. Instead of relying solely on themselves and donations, the organization places responsibility on the public by increasing their awareness. I believe this is important because it changes the Cypriot view from the ocean always being there to something that could one day be irreparably harmed.