Facilitators of environmental crime: corporations and governments in the port of Antwerp

As networks of international trade, maritime supply chains are susceptible to criminal activities and as intersections on the global trade flows so are ports. This chapter examines whether and how corporate and government actors in the port facilitate environmental crime. The focus is on the illegal e-waste trade through the port of Antwerp (Belgium), a sea-port which has been labelled a hub for environmental crime. Drawing on a multi-method research design combining document analysis, interviews and field visits, the argument is advanced that several corporate and governmental actors facilitate environmental crime. This can be a deliberate participation in illegal trade or a more facilitative role by means of flexible port policies and a lack of due diligence or control