How Norwegian Cruise Lines Paves The Way For Eco-Friendly Cruising

Cruises are known for over-the-top excess, but, unfortunately, that indulgence often means excess waste and damage to the environment. Not only is this counter-indicative to the trends of modern society, but it doesn’t teach our kids a positive lesson. Norwegian Cruise Line recently took steps to turn the tides and enter a new era of environmentally friendly cruising.

Norwegian, known for its forward-thinking approach to the cruising industry, recently announced plans to be single-use plastic bottle free by January 2020. In order to accomplish this goal it entered into a partnership with JUST Goods, Inc., a company that sources natural spring water and packages it in bottles made from plant-based, renewable materials. The packaging process results in 74 percent fewer carbon emissions than the process used to create and fill a traditional, single-use, plastic water bottle. This not only reduces the environmental impact through safer processing, but, because the bottles are refillable, reduces the waste in our landfills.

This latest move toward a more eco-friendly cruising experience is just one of many initiatives Norwegian adopted in recent years to establish its commitment to sustainability. In 2018 the cruise line committed to eliminating single-use plastic straws and, over the past several years, worked to retrofit several ships in its fleet with new exhaust gas cleaning systems designed to reduce exhaust emissions into the environment.

Norwegian Cruise Line. Photo: Enrico Powell | Dreamstime.com

These initiatives are part of what the company calls its Sail and Sustain Environmental Program, which also includes programs geared toward waste mitigation, water conservation and fuel and energy efficiency. Each ship in the fleet sails with an Environmental Officer to ensure on-board practices are followed and to provide Environmental Familiarization Training for all crew members. The EO is also available to answer questions for cruise passengers in order to educate everyone on best practices for eco-friendly cruising.

The company is striving to maintain core values of preserving and protecting the environment, particularly the oceans. The goals are to reduce waste, prevent accidents that could potentially pollute the environment, reuse and recycle as many materials as possible, and reduce the overall impact of its ships on the environment.

Together with passengers committed to protecting and preserving our delicate eco-system, Norwegian is leading the way for the future of cruising — one that lets travelers enjoy the open seas without leaving a harmful carbon footprint.