World's largest cruise company installs nearly
600 advanced biodigester machines across its global fleet
Investment in green food waste processing
technology to naturally break down food waste supports company's
waste management objectives, as part of long-term sustainability
goals
MIAMI, May 4, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:
CCL;NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, today announced
it has completed the installation of nearly 600 food waste
biodigesters across its fleet in support of ongoing food waste
management and reduction efforts as part of its overall commitment
to environmental compliance. The innovative technology has been
added to ships from the company's nine cruise line brands –
Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line,
Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises,
P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
The biodigester technology uses a natural aerobic digestion
process inside each machine to efficiently break down food waste
utilizing a mix of beneficial microorganisms, enabling the systems
to process anything that can be consumed by a human. Able to
perform automated digestion 24 hours per day, the biodigesters are
strategically placed in key areas of the ship where food is
processed, further improving onboard operations by making it easier
and more efficient for crew members to manage and control food
waste. Additionally, the machines capture non-food items or other
materials accidentally mixed with food waste, providing an
additional layer of protection for environmental compliance on each
ship.
Since first piloting the technology in 2019, Carnival
Corporation and its nine global cruise line brands have continued
to expand the use of these systems across their fleets. Most
recently, the company's namesake brand, Carnival Cruise Line,
announced it is the first major cruise line to employ biodigesters
across its entire fleet as the brand returns its final of 23 total
ships to guest operations this month. As Carnival Corporation's
entire fleet returns to operations this year, its full lineup of
brands will continue to see benefits from improved food waste
management as additional biodigesters come online, further
strengthening environmental performance across the company's global
operations.
The fleetwide biodigester installation supports Carnival
Corporation's aggressive food waste management objectives, as part
of its 2030 sustainability goals. These goals support the company's
circular economy focus area by including a commitment to achieve a
30% reduction in unit food waste by 2022 and a 50% reduction in
unit food waste by 2030, as outlined in the company's latest
sustainability report. These new goals build on the company's
latest achievement of reducing food waste per person by over 20% at
the end of 2021, which doubled its original goal of reaching a 10%
reduction in food waste by the end of last year, relative to a 2019
baseline.
"The significant investment in this technology goes hand in hand
with our highest responsibility and top priority at Carnival
Corporation, which is compliance, environmental protection and the
health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the
communities we visit and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside
personnel," said Bill Burke, chief
maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. "We have made great
strides in our circular economy focus area and the rollout of
nearly 600 biodigesters represents another important milestone for
our ongoing efforts to further minimize our impact on the oceans we
sail and the communities we visit while supporting overall food
waste management efforts and environmental compliance on board our
ships."
In addition to food waste management objectives, the circular
economy focus area also includes an ongoing commitment to
significantly reduce non-essential single-use plastic items, along
with long-term 2030 sustainability goals and 2050 aspirations
detailed in the latest sustainability report, including the
following:
- Increase fleetwide coverage of Advanced Waste Water Treatment
Systems to over 75% by 2030
- Send a larger percentage of waste to waste-to-energy facilities
where practical by 2030 and aspire to send 100% by 2050
- Partner with primary vendors to reduce upstream packaging
volumes and aspire to partner with primary vendors to ensure near
100% reuse of packaging materials by 2050
- Aspire to build ships without the need to discharge to the
ocean or air (zero-emission ships) by 2050
As part of its longer-term sustainability plan and vision,
Carnival Corporation has committed to significant investments to
achieve its 2030 sustainability goals and 2050 aspirations, which
incorporate six critical sustainability focus areas overall,
including climate action; circular economy; sustainable tourism;
good health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion; and
biodiversity and conservation. Among these priorities, the company
and its brands have committed to reducing carbon emission intensity
by 40% by 2030 and have aspirations to achieve net carbon-neutral
ship operations, supporting its efforts to establish a path to zero
emission cruising by 2050.
More information on the company's sustainability efforts is
available at www.CarnivalSustainability.com.
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival
Corporation & plc is one of the world's largest leisure travel
companies with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise
lines sailing to all seven continents. With operations in
North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise
Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O
Cruises (Australia), Costa
Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.
Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com,
www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com,
www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com,
www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc