Cousteau will share expertise to help cruise corporation minimise its environmental impact
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation has partnered with ocean explorer and environmental advocate Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society team to develop new initiatives that will minimise the impact its cruise ships have on the environment.
Cousteau and his team will share their expertise on environmental best practices and sustainability policies to Carnival Corporation and its nine cruise brands. This will enable the cruise corporation to achieve environmental compliance and meet the targets outlined in its 2020 Sustainability Goals.
“We are all connected to the ocean in some way no matter where we live, and it is clear that the health and vitality of the world’s oceans depend on our collective global commitment to preserving the environment that we all share,” said Cousteau. “As we look to the future, we have a responsibility and opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the world’s oceans, while supporting and protecting them with sound environmental policies. We look forward to working with Carnival Corporation to further enhance its environmental initiatives, and we commend the company’s long-term commitment to environmental stewardship and excellence.”
Carnival Corporation will use Cousteau’s expertise to build on the initiatives it has already introduced to help protect the oceans and the destinations it visits. Key initiatives that are underway include plans to significantly reduce the purchase and consumption of non-essential single-use plastics across all nine brands by the end of 2021.
This July, Carnival Cruise Line became the first large-scale cruise operator to partner with Clean the World. Through this programme, the brand will collect almost 40 tons of discarded soap from guest and crew staterooms each year, which will be recycled into new soap bars and distributed to vulnerable communities in more than 127 countries worldwide. Similarly, the cruise line will work with not-for-profit organisation Soap Aid in Australia.
Meanwhile, Carnival Corporation’s Italy-based brand Costa Cruises has developed the 4GOODFOOD programme to reduce food waste by 50% onboard its ships by 2020, which is 10 years ahead of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals. In just over a year, the brand has cut food waste by 35%. The programme also includes an industry-first food donation project in which unserved prepared meals are donated to food banks in local ports.
“With over 120,000 dedicated employees, most of whom live and work at sea, our commitment to protecting and sustaining the oceans on which we sail and the communities we visit around the world is a top priority for our company,” said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation. “We enthusiastically welcome the Ocean Futures Society and Jean-Michel’s passion and insights to help us strengthen our efforts, along with the support of our employees and guests.”