MIAMI – Carnival Corporation & plc announced that it will significantly eliminate its purchase and consumption of non-essential single-use plastics by the end of 2021. The effort to dramatically reduce single-use plastics across its nine global cruise line brands is part of an expansion of Operation Oceans Alive, the corporation’s program to further its ongoing commitment to achieve and sustain environmental compliance and excellence.
Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands already have plans under way, including initiatives to reduce or eliminate plastic straws, cups, lids, and bags, among other single-use items. The brands are also working to potentially eliminate individual servings of select packaged food items and other single-use plastics or decorative items used in food and beverage service as well as in staterooms.
The company is immediately focusing on reducing single-use plastic items not used for sanitary or public health-related purposes. As part of the company’s stringent Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) Policy and to comply with national and international regulations governing cruise ship operations, there are some single-use plastic items that cannot be completely eliminated, including plastic trash can liners in common areas and sanitary gloves, among others.
“We recognize that to be a responsible global organization, a good corporate citizen and the environmental leader our guests expect us to be, we need to continue to take proactive measures to ensure sustainability is ingrained in all aspects of our operation across our nine global cruise brands,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “Our Operation Oceans Alive platform and this initiative to dramatically reduce single-use plastics across our global fleet are just some of the ways we are committed to continuously enhancing our operations and focus on environmental compliance and excellence. Along with the support of our more than 120,000 dedicated employees, most of whom live and work at sea, we will do our part to preserve and protect the oceans, seas and destinations we visit around the world.”
Added Burke: “We know our guests share our commitment to protecting the world we live in, and we appreciate their support as we continue our ongoing efforts to be proactive stewards, ambassadors and guardians of our environment.”
Underscoring Carnival Corporation’s long-term goal to achieve and sustain environmental compliance and excellence, these efforts are part of the company’s expanding Operation Oceans Alive program, which promotes a culture of transparency, learning and commitment across its global operations.
Introduced in January 2018, Carnival Corporation launched Operation Oceans Alive as an internal effort and call to action to further ensure all employees receive proper education, training and oversight, while continuing the company-wide commitment to protecting the oceans, seas and destinations in which it operates.
In the program’s first year, the corporation continued to implement innovative technology solutions for sustainability, accelerate environmental training efforts and improve communications to achieve a higher level of environmental awareness and a culture of environmental stewardship. The initiative is now being expanded externally as the platform for the corporation’s commitment to achieving and sustaining environmental compliance, excellence and leadership, and will continue to expand through an increase in funding, staffing and responsibility.
Operation Oceans Alive and the company’s plan to dramatically reduce single-use plastics are among a series of ongoing efforts designed to further strengthen the company’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, as outlined in its 2020 Sustainability Goals.
In 2018, the company announced it achieved its 25% carbon reduction goal three years ahead of schedule, and it is on track with its nine other 2020 sustainability targets for reducing its environmental footprint, while enhancing the health, safety and security of its guests and crew members, and ensuring sustainable business practices among its nine cruise line brands, business partners and suppliers.
These efforts and others support Carnival Corporation’s long-term commitment to sustainability, responsible operations and protecting the environment, and are an important part of the company’s supervised terms of probation, which include initiatives such as reducing single-use plastics, and environmental compliance plan, which includes initiatives such as organizational and structural improvements to teams, equipment and procedures.
