Cutting emissions must be the top goal for travel companies, according to Hurtigruten Group as it called for greater transparency in the industry, particularly from cruise ship operators.
Hurtigruten Expeditions launched its third battery-hybrid ship MS Otto Sverdrup last year while MS Fridtjof Nansen was rated as the world’s most sustainable vessel.
Hurtigruten Norway also set in motion plans to launch Europe’s most environmental fleet upgrade to reduce emissions by 25%.
Group chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said: “We operate in an industry which negatively impacts the environment, so we have a collective responsibility to be more transparent and accountable when it comes to our natural and social impact.
“Sustainability is not a marketing exercise, it’s a core part of business. It’s a licence to operate and more importantly, it’s the right thing to do.”
The company’s new ESG report details how its three business areas – Hurtigruten Norway, Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Svalbard – achieved their own sustainability milestones in 2021.
The report reviews the group’s path towards sustainable travel in the future including its intention to launch the first zero emission ship on the Norwegian coast by 2030, have fully carbon neutral operations by 2040 and ultimately becoming emission free by 2050.
Skjeldam added: “I am extremely proud of our colleagues both at land and sea for achieving many other ESG successes despite operating in a pandemic.
“We have been a first mover on sustainability for decades, and we will continue to be a catalyst for change towards a greener travel industry – to protect what we love today, tomorrow and into the future.”