P&O Cruises and Cunard plan to abolish single use plastics from ships by 2022 as the British cruise brands respond to concerns on the impact to oceans raised by TV’s Blue Planet.
The sister Carnival UK lines yesterday stated an intention to remove single use plastics from the hotel operations of ships by the end of 2022 as part of an overall environmental compliance plan.
The pledge came after Michael Bayley, the boss of rival Royal Caribbean International, told The Telegraph on Friday that plastic use is to be reduced across all of its brands, including Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.
Carnival UK president Josh Weinstein said: “Whilst we have stringent regulations and procedures on board our ships for recycling, we need to go to the source of the supply chain to encourage changes to packaging and remove single use plastic products from our hotel operation.
“We are in discussions with our suppliers to try to influence the removal of single use plastic in products such as straws, water bottles and food packaging wherever possible, as well as reviewing our wider sourcing strategy of the most environmentally friendly products across the board.”
He added: “Programmes such as Blue Planet have shone a light on the impact plastic can have on our seas and it is our responsibility, as an ocean-going cruise line, to take action now, however many hurdles we have to face along the way.
“The ocean is a fundamental part of our business but more importantly its preservation and that of the surrounding shores is critical for our future and that of future generations.
“We, as well as our guests, have a duty to respect and protect it as part of our wider environmental protection.”
P&O Cruises has two large “environmentally advanced” ships powered by liquefied natural gas due for delivery in 2020 and 2022 with a new Cunard vessel also due to enter service in 2022.
Referring to the new ships, Weinstein added that “this intention goes even further in our ongoing quest for environmental protection”.