ship, which generates extra emissions and creates more waste.” Crucially, the industry must also improve systems for effectively recovering raw materials to prevent them from becoming waste when products reach the end of their lifespans. “The current challenge is that while so many products are on an amazing track of recyclability, they haven’t come full circle yet,” says Payne. “Some products are fully recyclable, or are made of fully recycled materials, but we don’t know where they come from, how they get there or where they go at the end of their lifecycle. Logistics often make it difficult to recycle items too.” To overcome this obstacle, the industry must design with the on-site assembly, regular maintenance and future refurbishment requirements of products in mind, says Cafaro. “Every single component can then be fully used throughout its lifecycle because we will be able to identify and replace it without wasting the entire assembly.” Tan adds: “We must also build an ecosystem of partners who will be responsible for performing these future actions, so shipowners know who to contact and when.” In some cases, technologies allow shipowners to entirely remove some materials from ships. For example, Excel Dryer’s ThinAir Hand Dryer provides a sustainable alternative to paper towels. “The dryer features electrostatic HEPA filtration and exemplifies the shift towards durable, long-lasting interior products,” says William Gagnon, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Excel Dryer. “Its slim, accessible design means it fits perfectly in compact cruise ship restrooms, and it is both durable and low maintenance. By using items built to endure, we’re championing a future where long-lasting, environmentally conscious products are key.” Signs of change Faced by a growing number of financial mechanisms to disincentivise the use of certain raw materials and mandatory regulations to keep products out of landfill, industry stakeholders are increasingly committed to designing longlasting ship interiors and products. “The interest in higher quality and longlasting design, and the modular approach to refurbishing furniture, have grown in the past year,” says Sawelin. To capitalise on this momentum and accelerate the progress towards full circularity, all industry stakeholders must collaborate on solutions, says Tan. “Experts across the supply chain must work together to compare various options to identify the most economically viable design solutions that also deliver the biggest positive environmental impact.” Despite the anticipated challenges, it is clear that the move to circular design is “no longer something that can be put off”, says Cafaro. “We cannot continue to waste precious resources to produce materials that do not last, only to keep discarding and replacing them in an endless vicious cycle. Instead, everyone operating in this fascinating cruise world must strive to drive change together as we have both the qualifications and capacity to do so.” Excel Dryer’s ThinAir Hand Dryer is slim, compact, easy to maintain and provides a sustainable alternative to paper towels
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=