Genoa, June 29, 2018. Costa Cruises has published the latest edition of its Sustainability Report , “Sea You Tomorrow – A Route to the Future,” available for download at:
https://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/sustainability/Pages/report.aspx.
The document outlines the Italian company's sustainability program and strategy, describing the projects and results achieved in this area in 2017. This edition fully implements and integrates the goals defined by the United Nations in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), with the aim of promoting responsible development globally.
“For Costa, sustainability is a strategic asset that we have fully integrated into all of our company’s processes and that we apply directly to achieve responsible innovation,” stated Neil Palomba, CEO of Costa Crociere SpA . “In this respect, the UN Sustainable Development Goals represent an excellent opportunity and, at the same time, a framework for working together to identify solutions that have not yet been tested, promote new economic models, and thus build new scenarios. We are the first company in the cruise industry to accept this challenge, which we are facing with a strong sense of responsibility and significant investments. A prime example of this is the order for two new ships, which will be the first cruise ships for the international market powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), the cleanest fossil fuel available in the world today.”
According to Stefania Lallai, Sustainability and External Relations Director at Costa Crociere: “The sustainability report presents significant results achieved through an integrated approach that considers multiple stakeholders and directly involves various parties, including our guests, whom we aim to engage even more. We are firmly committed to launching and consolidating the innovative 4GOODFOOD project, with which we have set the ambitious goal of reducing food waste on board our ships by 50% by 2020, 10 years ahead of the target set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, our active participation in the Festival of Sustainable Development, promoted by the National Alliance for Sustainable Development, demonstrates the direction we have taken.”
The three sections that make up the Costa Cruises Sustainability Report – SEA, YOU, and TOMORROW – address, respectively, environmental protection, the creation of shared value, and responsible innovation. These are the three pillars on which Costa Cruises.
SEA
Reducing emissions, optimizing consumption, managing waste with the aim of recovering, reusing, and recycling, combating climate change, and safeguarding marine ecosystems are objectives that are deeply integrated into Costa's operations. The active involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders, from ship guests to logistics partners and local authorities in the areas visited, are fundamental to minimizing impacts.
YOU
Promoting a business and tourism model that ensures economic progress and enhances the development and opportunities of the areas where Costa ships arrive, highlighting identity, as well as cultural and natural heritage, are central pillars of Costa for sustainable development.
Costa 's commitment is therefore focused on promoting sustainable tourism based on participatory dialogue with local territories and communities , as well as raising passenger awareness of increasingly authentic tourist experiences .
A concrete example of this commitment is the agreement signed by Costa Cruises in 2017 with “I Borghi più belli d'Italia” (The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy), an association that seeks to promote those Italian villages still unknown to much of the international public. This collaboration is based on a principle of sustainability and the promotion of the territorial and cultural heritage of Italy's less visible regions.
TOMORROW
In terms of responsible innovation, Costa is once again positioning itself as a pioneer in the cruise sector thanks to its two new ships powered by LNG, the cleanest fossil fuel in the world, which will begin operating in 2019 and 2021.
An ambitious and important milestone in promoting responsible and sustainable activity is the 4GOODFOOD program, which aims to reduce food waste on board by 50% by 2020. In fact, Costa has launched a unique initiative in the maritime sector that focuses on the value of food and its responsible consumption within the complex context of cruise ships, and for whose implementation it is essential to place citizens and passengers at the center.
It is an integrated and global project that ranges from reviewing the gastronomic offer on board, to managing food surpluses by raising awareness among passengers and crew members, thus ensuring their direct involvement in the great global challenge of reversing the current trend.
