Carnival Corporation, the world's largest leisure travel company, released its eighth annual sustainability report, announcing that in 2017 the company achieved its 25 percent carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule and is on track with its nine other 2020 sustainability goals.
Looking to the future, the company continues to chart its sustainability journey, using the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a framework to identify new environmental management, energy efficiency, health, safety and wellbeing objectives to strive toward by 2030.
"We recognize that to be a responsible global organization and good corporate citizen, we need to have sustainability ingrained in all aspects of our operation across our nine global cruise line brands and more than 100 ships," said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation, whose nine global cruise line brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn.
"We are committed to consistently exceeding the expectations of our guests for great vacations but we are also deeply committed to being a model for sustainable tourism throughout the world. It is through the dedication of our passionate and diverse workforce that we are able to make such great strides in every aspect of our operations. We congratulate each of our 120,000 employees for helping us achieve and exceed our carbon reduction goal well ahead of schedule," Bill added.
Carnival Corporation first shared its 2020 sustainability goals in 2015, identifying 10 objectives that include reducing its carbon footprint, improving ships' air emissions, reducing waste generation, improving water use efficiency, and supporting guests, crew members and local communities.
The company's latest sustainability report shows that it is on track to meet those goals across its nine global cruise line brands, realizing the following environmental advancements by the end of 2017:
Carbon Footprint: achieved 26.3 percent reduction in CO2e relative to 2005 baseline
Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS): 62 percent of fleet equipped with EGCS, capable of reducing sulfur compounds and particulate matter in ships' engine exhaust at any operating state of a ship, resulting in improved quality of air emissions
Cold Ironing: 43 percent of fleet equipped with capability to use shoreside electric power while the ship is docked
Advanced Waste Water Purification Systems: increased coverage of fleet-wide capacity by 6.2 percentage points from 2014 baseline. Together, the company's standard and AWWPS systems meet and/or exceed water treatment requirements established by the International Maritime Organization, and national and local authorities.
Waste Reduction: reduced non-recycled waste generated by shipboard operations by 3.7 percent relative to 2016 baseline, and sent 79 percent of the U.S. food and municipal type waste to a facility that captured the energy from the waste
Water Efficiency: improved water use efficiency of shipboard operations by 4 percent relative to 2010 baseline, to a rate of 60 gallons per person per day, versus the U.S. national average of 90 gallons per person per day
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is the most environmentally-friendly and low-emission fuel currently available. As part of the company's commitment to reducing air emissions and improving air quality in the ports and ecosystems it visits, Carnival Corporation has invested in two major environmental intiatives, EGCS and LNG, that are leading not just the cruise industry but the overall maritime sector and provide a balanced approach to fuel usage and clean-air emissions.
In 2017, Carnival Corporation received the Lloyd's List Americas 2017 Cleaner Safer Seas Solutions Award for its commitment to LNG operations and cleaner air.
In 2017 Carnival Corporation welcomed to its fleet the second cruise ship in the world able to be powered by LNG while in port, as dual-fueled AIDAperla began LNG operations when docked in three European ports. AIDAperla is the sister ship to dual-fueled AIDAprima, which launched in 2016.
In December 2018, AIDAnova will launch on its maiden voyage as the first fully LNG-powered cruise ship in the world, capable of running exclusively on LNG both in port and at sea. Six more Carnival Corporation ships generating 100 percent of their power from LNG will be in operation by 2022, sailing for AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and P&O Cruises (UK).
In November 2017 Carnival Corporation expanded its LNG partnership with Shell Western LNG B.V. to North American ports. Shell will supply fuel for the two next-generation LNG-powered cruise ships on order for Carnival Cruise Line, both of which will be homeported in North America when they launch in 2020 and 2022.
"The draw of the ocean's vast beauty is at the center of what makes cruising such an extraordinary vacation choice for the 12.1 million guests who sailed on our 103 ships in 2017," said Elaine Heldewier, sustainability director for Carnival Corporation. "Doing our part to ensure the health and vitality of marine environments long into the future is not only the right thing to do as good corporate citizens, but it's essential to what we do as a business. We are always looking for better ways to improve our technology and processes to further increase efficiencies and decrease our effects on the environment."
