Royal Caribbean Group and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have committed to meeting new sustainability targets by extending their global partnership for five years.
The cruise giant first partnered with WWF in 2016 to embed more sustainability practices into its business and promote responsible tourism in coastal destinations.
Now the two groups have committed to another five year partnership, which will focus on setting measurable sustainability targets around the reduction of carbon emissions, the sustainable growth and development of the business and the elimination of single-use plastic.
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Royal Caribbean will continue to support WWF’s global ocean conservation work with a $5 million “philanthropic contribution” during the partnership.
Chief executive of Royal Caribbean Group Jason Liberty said: “Healthy, sustainable oceans are paramount to our mission of delivering the best vacations responsibly.
“Our partnership with WWF encapsulates our belief in continuous improvement and our commitment to advancing our environmental, social and governance work. The support and assistance of WWF will be invaluable to realising this mission as we work to set and achieve our sustainability goals.”
Carter Roberts, president and chief executive of WWF in the US, said: “Scale matters, particularly in the face of global challenges like climate change and ocean conservation.
“We’re grateful for the progress Royal Caribbean Group has made toward achieving its sustainability goals since 2016, and we’re energised by an ambition for even greater things to come.
“Our work together is grounded in the reality that people everywhere – from local communities and indigenous people to urban residents and tourists – rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods and enrichment.
“We’re committed to doing everything possible to keep ocean ecosystems thriving for the benefit of all people, as well as the many other creatures for whom the ocean is their home.”