Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company operating nine cruise lines and over 80 cruise ships, has announced their new sustainability goals that focus on six areas.
Following the achievement of its 2020 sustainability goals, Carnival Corporation has established new sustainability goals for 2030 and aspirations for 2050, incorporating six key focus areas that specifically align with some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
These areas include: climate action; circular economy (waste reduction); sustainable tourism; health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and biodiversity and conservation.
- Achieve a 40% reduction in carbon rate per available lower berth day by 2030, relative to a 2008 baseline.
- Confirmation that the company peaked its absolute carbon emissions in 2011, despite an approximately 20% capacity increase between 2011 and today with an additional 19% capacity increase on order, and a commitment to continue to reduce emissions over time, and identify a pathway to decarbonization.
- Expand its alternative fuels strategy across its liquefied natural gas (LNG) program and battery, fuel cell and biofuel capabilities.
- Deliver a 50% reduction in absolute air emissions of particulate matter by 2030 relative to a 2015 baseline, despite an over 10% capacity increase since 2015 and the additional 19% capacity increase on order.
- Increase fleetwide shore power connection capability to at least 60% of the fleet by 2030.
- Achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050.
Carnival Corporation will detail additional 2030 sustainability goals and 2050 aspirations covering all six of its focus areas in its 2020 Sustainability Report to be issued later this summer.
In addition, Carnival is also trying to:
- Achieve 50% reduction in single-use plastic items by the end of 2021, relative to a 2018 baseline.
- Achieve 30% per capita food waste reduction by 2022 and 50% by 2030, relative to a 2019 baseline.
- Increase fleetwide coverage of Advanced Waste Water Treatment Systems to at least 75% by 2030.
- Aspire to build zero emissions ships by 2050.
“At Carnival Corporation, our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside personnel,” said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. “The 2030 goals and our aspirations for 2050 are an important next step in our sustainability journey and support our efforts to establish a path to zero emission cruising over time.”
As part of its strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, Carnival leads the cruise industry’s use of LNG to power cruise ships with a total of 11 next-generation cruise ships that will have joined the fleet through 2025, which will represent nearly 20% of its total capacity, including four cruise ships already in operation.
Carnival Corporation also pioneered the use of Advanced Air Quality Systems on board its cruise ships and is promoting the use of shore power, enabling vessels to use shoreside electric power where available while in port.
In addition, Carnival has implemented broad initiatives to optimize onboard energy use, and innovative hull designs and coatings to reduce fuel consumption by minimizing frictional drag, along with trialing innovative technologies for generating power on cruise ships, including battery power and fuel cells.
