Ports of the Future: The World Economic Forum Highlights Dunkirk and Its Industrial Water Network

How can ports remain competitive in a world shaped by climate change, geopolitical tensions and the transformation of global value chains?

This is the question addressed by the World Economic Forum in its latest briefing paper, Future-Proofing Ports: Nature, Climate and People as Drivers of Competitiveness, published in June 2026.

As ports handle around 80% of global trade, the report underlines that they are now at a strategic turning point. To remain competitive over the coming decades, ports must strengthen their resilience to climate risks, accelerate the energy transition, protect natural ecosystems and develop new forms of collaboration with economic actors and local communities.

This vision strongly resonates with Dunkirk.

Towards a new generation of ports

The World Economic Forum promotes an approach defined as “Nature and People Positive Ports”. The idea is to move beyond the traditional view of ports as logistics and industrial infrastructure and recognise them as full-fledged ecosystems that generate economic, environmental and social value.

According to the report, future-proof ports must combine several priorities:

• accelerate the decarbonization of industrial and logistics activities
• enhance infrastructure resilience to climate-related risks
• protect coastal ecosystems and natural resources
• develop circular economy approaches
• support workforce transformation and skills development
• strengthen inclusion of local communities in transition pathways

The Forum estimates that this transformation could unlock more than $54 billion in annual economic opportunities by 2030, while also improving the resilience of global supply chains.

Dunkirk among the territories setting the pace

This vision is already being put into practice. For more than three years, Dunkirk has been part of the World Economic Forum’s “Transitioning Industrial Clusters” initiative.

The territory is regularly highlighted for its ability to bring together industrial companies, port stakeholders, public authorities and institutional partners around a shared ambition: aligning reindustrialization, decarbonization and competitiveness.

Through collective actions led by local partners, including ÉcosystèmeD, Dunkirk is already deploying concrete solutions aligned with the priorities identified in the report: industrial decarbonization, circular economy, sustainable water management, cross-sector collaboration and territorial resilience.

This collaborative approach reflects one of the report’s core messages: the most competitive ports will be those capable of aligning all stakeholders within their ecosystem around a shared vision and coordinated action.

A recognition of Dunkirk’s industrial water network

Among the initiatives featured in the report is the Industrial Water Network developed within the Dunkirk industrial-port zone.

This system, driven by the Dunkirk Water Authority, Dunkirk Port and ÉcosystèmeD, aims to optimize water resource use across the entire industrial-port ecosystem.

The approach is based on identifying major water users, mapping flows, and uncovering opportunities for circular water management between companies.

Several solutions are already being implemented or assessed:

• reuse of treated wastewater;
• reinjection of industrial process water into shared networks;
• water exchanges between industrial sites, turning one company’s discharge into another’s resource.

The Dunkirk Water Authority evaluates the technical and economic feasibility of these opportunities and works with industrial partners to implement them, strengthening both sustainability and competitiveness in one of Europe’s largest industrial hubs.

For the World Economic Forum, this initiative is a concrete example of how circular economy principles applied to water can enhance long-term port competitiveness.

A tangible demonstration of the ongoing transition

Beyond water management alone, the Dunkirk example reflects a broader transformation in the role of port territories.

Once seen primarily as logistics platforms, major ports are now emerging as innovation ecosystems where the industrial, energy and environmental solutions of the future are being developed.

Dunkirk’s inclusion in this international publication confirms the relevance of its strategic trajectory: positioning ecological transition as a driver of economic development, attractiveness and competitiveness.

It places the territory among the leading European industrial-port hubs shaping the future of sustainable and resilient port ecosystems.

Click here to read the World Economic Forum report and find Dunkirk on page 8