129 Although the maritime interiors industry is seeing positive progression regarding demand for sustainable initiatives, there are major barriers that prevent the delivery of more sustainable choices. These include inertia when tackling long-established norms, along with high costs, longer manufacturing times and limited availability of sustainable materials. In addition, there are many restrictions that apply to the installation of interiors on ships. For example, while land-based interiors can include natural materials purely on the basis of their green credentials, in a maritime environment there are fire-load limits that restrict how much natural material can be used and where it is permissible. Most significant barriers Sustainable design does not exist in a vacuum but is part of a wider context. A significant barrier to sustainability is the unwillingness of companies to take on higher short-term costs to avoid long-term negative impacts. In addition, sustainable design knowledge is still not fully integrated in the disciplines of architecture and design, so there may be a lack of understanding of the basic principles. Further issues arise from the fact that few products have undergone life-cycle analysis to enable informed decisions, the lack of information on the environmental impact of various interiors choices, and a shortage of funding and personnel to conduct these studies. The majority of materials must hold marine certification to be acceptable for use onboard. Innovation in the use of natural fibres and repurposed materials is still developing and there is not yet mass availability at a competitive price of sustainable materials and products for large commercial products. That means the cost to bring new products to market specifically for maritime use is high. Testing and certification are time-consuming and many manufacturers do not see the potential economic advantage in these processes. – “Our only option is to become more sustainable than we are today; to become as sustainable as we can possibly be. This will require a concerted effort comprising a combination of small steps, giant steps and sometimes even great leaps” Barriers to building and renewing sustainable interiors
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