Founded and sponsored by the Italian shipping company, it will aim to mitigate social and environmental problems in the communities where the company operates.
To mark the launch of the Costa Diadema, the new flagship of the Costa fleet, the company has presented the new Costa Cruises Foundation, an independent management organization whose objective is to improve the social and environmental conditions of the communities in which Costa Cruises operates, by sharing the unique resources to which Costa and its partners have access.
The Costa Cruises Foundation is the natural evolution of the social and environmental footprint that Costa Cruises has been leaving in recent years: the shipping company's commitment to local communities will now have a more synergistic and coordinated action.
“We feel a responsibility towards the environment in which we operate,” explained Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Crociere SpA. “As the strong company we are, we have both the duty and the opportunity to support the maritime and Italian communities. The establishment of the Foundation reinforces a long-term path the company embarked on years ago. A healthy business environment is, in fact, in the shipping company’s best interest, especially with regard to Italy, which is our home, one of our most important markets, and the place where the company has grown.”
The Foundation will take a holistic approach and involve all stakeholders, including employees, business partners, and passengers. The company knows and firmly believes that the path to social and environmental sustainability requires the support of various stakeholders, both within and outside the company.
The newly formed Foundation will include long-term and ongoing initiatives already supported by Costa Cruises, as well as new projects, which will start locally in Genoa, where the company was founded and has grown, mobilizing and capturing philanthropic commitment among the shipping company's partners and volunteer Costa Cruises employees.
One of the pilot projects will target the homeless population of Genoa, a segment of the population that is growing dramatically due to Italy's economic recession. According to statistics, more than 50,000 people are already living below the poverty line and sleeping on the streets. This project will be based on three main pillars. The first is to provide permanent shelter in a safe structure that can accommodate 10 to 15 people and meet their basic needs to help them overcome the disadvantages of homelessness. This includes food security, opportunities for social interaction, and other services such as elder care. The second pillar involves trained professionals and volunteers who will provide personalized psychosocial, educational, medical, and legal support. The third pillar will focus on raising awareness about this issue and restoring self-confidence and dignity to the people involved in this project, enabling them to reintegrate into society.
Furthermore, involvement with the Comunità di Sant'Egidio, an ongoing project for the distribution of meals to disadvantaged people in the city of Genoa, is another example of the activities that the Foundation will initially address.
Regarding the environmental program, the Foundation's main objective will be to reduce marine pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, working in cooperation with local communities and encouraging individuals and businesses to reuse instead of discarding. Through training and awareness-raising, the Foundation will help consumers and partners understand the impact of plastic waste by adopting the five Rs approach: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Redesign, and Recover, to prevent plastic waste in the Mediterranean.
The Costa Cruises Foundation will be independent but linked to Costa, which will support it as a founding member. It will be governed by an eight-member Board of Directors and supported by staff members who, together with the Advisory Board, will select projects to address both the social and environmental programs. Fundraising activities will focus on in-kind donations from key business partners, organizing events for passengers and the general public, and selling merchandise onboard.
“The Foundation will sponsor charitable projects carried out primarily by non-profit organizations,” explained Thatcher Brown, Chairman of the Costa Cruises Foundation. “It will also initiate other relevant projects and seek opportunities to utilize synergies between Costa’s business operations and the Foundation’s activities. In this respect, we will be able to leverage the various resources the company is using, such as its purchasing power to acquire products for program beneficiaries at a lower cost, its strong media relationships to raise awareness of social and environmental issues, and its extensive passenger network to involve them in fundraising activities.”
COSTA CRUISES FOUNDATION
Founded in November 2014
PRESIDENT
Thatcher Brown
Thatcher Brown plays a key role in transforming product and service strategies into positive passenger experiences, effectively contributing to the growth of Costa Cruises.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Thamm
Costa Crociere CEO Michael Thamm has a broad portfolio of management successes in the transport and cruise industries.
Stefania Bertolini
Professor of Business Management and CST, Stefania Bertolini has extensive experience in Corporate Social Responsibility from all angles and is an authoritative voice in responsible business ethics.
Francine Cousteau
As President of the Cousteau Society, an environmental education organization, Francine Cousteau has a solid background in long-term risk management across large geographical areas.
Paola Girdinio
Paola Girdinio, a member of the Board of Directors of Enel and the University of Genoa, is an expert in environmental issues and a member of several ministerial environmental impact commissions.
Beniamino Maltese
Chief Financial Officer of Costa Crociere, his skills and knowledge in financial management have helped transform Costa from a family business to a listed company.
Ugo Salerno
Trained in transport and naval engineering, Ugo Salerno currently heads RINA, the Italian supervisory body responsible for classification, inspection and examination in the maritime, energy and transport sectors.
Laura Cannone
As director of the Costa Crociere Care Team, Laura Cannone coordinates a large team of volunteer employees, the Costa Care Team, and is training them to assist cruise passengers in times of crisis.
THE PROGRAMS OF THE COSTA CRUISES FOUNDATION
The Costa Cruises Foundation aims to address and mitigate social and environmental problems in Italian communities. Its mission is to promote and support concrete improvements in the conditions of these communities by sharing the unique access to resources provided by Costa Cruises and its partners.
The Foundation will operate following a holistic approach, mobilizing and encouraging philanthropic involvement among the company's partners as well as volunteering among employees.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS – THE PROJECTS
A home for the homeless
The Costa Cruises Foundation's pilot project for the homeless, focusing on the city of Genoa, will be built on three pillars. The first is to provide permanent shelter in a secure structure that can accommodate 10 to 15 people and meet their basic needs to help them overcome the disadvantages of homelessness. This includes food security, opportunities for social interaction, and other services such as elder care. Once the main building, a home, has been secured, trained professionals and volunteers will provide personalized psychosocial, educational, medical, and legal support. The goal is to help people who were previously homeless reclaim their identity and facilitate their transition back into society. The third pillar is preventative and will work on raising awareness about the issue, changing perceptions about the inevitability of homelessness, and giving the homeless a voice again.
Hot meals
The Costa Cruises Foundation is working with the Community of Sant'Egidio in Genoa to provide daily food assistance to approximately 250 people, who collect food from distribution centers, as well as to another 200 people who receive it on the streets from Sant'Egidio volunteers. The demand for food, medicine, clothing, and shelter has increased to such a level that Sant'Egidio is now operating two distribution centers.
The key to the program is that the Foundation contributes more than just food and funding to a project like this. Leveraging Costa's purchasing power, it sources essential items at a significantly reduced cost from suppliers or directly from the ships. The potential reach of Costa's media contacts and other stakeholders is harnessed to raise awareness of the problem and reverse the paradoxical food waste in Italy each year.
Extended scholarships
The Costa Cruises Foundation will fund the university education of high-achieving high school students who choose an engineering-related track. The Foundation is focusing its support on Genoa, as it has one of the best engineering faculties in the country, and engineering graduates have the highest employment rate after graduation. The university is also close to Costa's headquarters, meaning the Foundation can enhance its financial support with professional mentoring and practical advice from Costa employees and the HR department to help graduates find a career in their chosen industry.
Material assistance
Like other projects, this one will also begin in Genoa. The Costa Cruises Foundation will compile inventory lists of items Costa has made available for donation, ranging from kitchenware and furniture to bedding, toys, and even non-perishable food. These items may not be suitable for use on board Costa ships for numerous reasons, but that doesn't mean they've reached the end of their lifespan. Charitable efforts don't end with a simple donation. Every effort mobilizes others; by forging a network of recycling and redistribution of resources, Costa Cruises will inspire its employees, stakeholders, and suppliers to do the same.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS
The Costa Cruises Foundation's environmental program focuses on reducing marine debris in the Mediterranean Sea, working in collaboration with Italian communities.
In particular, the foundation:
– It will encourage individuals and companies in the impacted community to reuse instead of throwing away
– It will provide structural means of on-site recycling while mobilizing communities to take part in cleanup efforts
– It will encourage producers to rethink and redesign their products
– It will promote prevention, offering support and stimulating innovation on the part of manufacturers
– It will help consumers and businesses understand the impact of plastic waste and rethink their plastic footprint
– It will promote the 'five R' approach: Reduce – Reuse – Recycle – Redesign – Recover, to ensure that plastic never reaches the Mediterranean Sea.
