By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has signed a five-year agreement with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help reduce its environmental footprint and support global ocean conservation work.
Together, the companies will set measurable sustainability targets that will help royal Caribbean reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and significantly improve supply chain sustainability by 2020.
Over the next four years, the cruise line also aims to responsibly source 90% of its wild-caught seafood by volume from MSC-certified sustainable fisheries, fisheries in full assessment for MSC certification, comprehensive Fishery Improvement Projects, and/or sourced from International Seafood Sustainability Association member companies. In North America and Europe, the company wants to responsibly source 75% of its farmed seafood by volume from ASC-certified responsible farms, farms in full assessment for ASC certification, and/or comprehensive aquaculture improvement projects. In addition, by 30 June 2016, Royal Caribbean will set specific traceability goals with targets for obtaining MSC and ASC chain of custody.
“Our mantra at Royal Caribbean is ‘Continuous Improvement,’ and this partnership with WWF represents a great opportunity to make a big step forward in meeting our special responsibility to protect the oceans,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “It is also gratifying to see that our determination to make a meaningful difference is shared by our employees and our guests. This new partnership aligns all of us at RCL with WWF’s mission to conserve the world’s oceans. Together we are setting aggressive goals and together we will start implementing them right away.”
At the end of June, Royal Caribbean and WWF will also finalise new targets to strengthen the company’s destination stewardship and sustainable tour operations platforms.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean will donate US$5 million to support WWF’s global ocean conservation work and will help the organisation to build awareness about environmental challenges among its millions of passengers.
Royal Caribbean also made a separate, US$200,000 donation to WWF Philippines in support of conservation programmes in the Donsol area during the signing of the agreement, which took place in Donsol, Sorsogon, Philippines.
“The threats that are facing the ocean are greater than ever – in the last 30 years, some ocean wildlife populations have declined by nearly 50%. If we are going to reverse the downward trends, we must take serious steps to repair, restore and protect the oceans,” said Carter Roberts, WWF-US president and CEO. “This initiative centres on two core concepts: first, committing to specific and measurable targets to reduce carbon emissions, increase sustainable sourcing and build destination stewardship; and second, comprehensively engaging millions of travellers to learn about the ocean and then act to help save it.”