How Carnival Corp. Will Strive to Reach Decarbonization

Carnival Corp. the world’s largest cruise company, today announced its initial set of 2030 sustainability goals, as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and compliance throughout its global operations.

Following the achievement of its 2020 sustainability goals, Carnival Corporation has established new sustainability goals for 2030 and aspirations for 2050, incorporating six key focus areas that specifically align with some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These areas include: climate action; circular economy (waste reduction); sustainable tourism; health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); and biodiversity and conservation.

Detailed below, Carnival Corporation is announcing several new goals, targets and aspirations for 2030 and beyond for two of its six focus areas that will guide its actions to further strengthen its environmental, social and governance performance.

Climate Action:

• Achieve a 40% reduction in carbon rate per available lower berth day by 2030, relative to a 2008 baseline.
• Confirmation that the company peaked its absolute carbon emissions in 2011, despite an approximately 20% capacity increase between 2011 and today with an additional 19% capacity increase on order, and a commitment to continue to reduce emissions over time, and identify a pathway to decarbonization.
• Expand its alternative fuels strategy across its liquefied natural gas (LNG) program and battery, fuel cell and biofuel capabilities.
• Deliver a 50% reduction in absolute air emissions of particulate matter by 2030 relative to a 2015 baseline, despite an over 10% capacity increase since 2015 and the additional 19% capacity increase on order.
• Increase fleetwide shore power connection capability to at least 60% of the fleet by 2030.
• Achieve net carbon neutral operations by 2050.

How the Company Will Strive Toward Decarbonization

Key components of the company’s strategy to reach decarbonization include adopting international frameworks and working with industry regulatory bodies to: address upcoming regulatory requirements and conditions, implement initiatives to maximize efficiency opportunities/gains, identify and implement low carbon fuels, invest in carbon efficient technologies, support and accelerate industry-specific research and development projects, establish internal goals supporting the path, and partner with other companies, non-governmental organizations and relevant stakeholders to help us achieve our objectives.

In the coming years, companies are likely to see an array of emerging technological innovations as there is not a single technology (nor a combination of technologies) that can move the maritime industry straight into a decarbonization path at this time, Carnival Corp. notes in it’s sustainability report.

Circular Economy:

• Achieve 50% reduction in single-use plastic items by the end of 2021, relative to a 2018 baseline.
• Achieve 30% per capita food waste reduction by 2022 and 50% by 2030, relative to a 2019 baseline.
• Increase fleetwide coverage of Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems to at least 75% by 2030.
• Aspire to build zero emissions ships by 2050.

The new set of 2030 sustainability targets and 2050 aspirations build on the momentum of the company’s performance relative to its 2020 sustainability goals, which were achieved and in some cases surpassed in 2019, a full year ahead of schedule. As the company continues to work toward the broad restart of guest cruise operations, it is maintaining its focus on its environmental, social and governance performance, including continued progress on its sustainability efforts through the pause in guest cruise operations.

As part of its strategic plan for carbon footprint reduction, the company leads the cruise industry’s use of LNG to power cruise ships with a total of 11 next-generation cruise ships that will have joined the fleet through 2025, which will represent nearly 20% of its total capacity, including four ships already in operation. The company also pioneered the use of Advanced Air Quality Systems on board its ships and is promoting the use of shore power, enabling ships to use shoreside electric power where available while in port.

In addition, the company has implemented broad initiatives to optimize onboard energy use, and innovative hull designs and coatings to reduce fuel consumption by minimizing frictional drag, along with trialing innovative technologies for generating power on cruise ships, including battery power and fuel cells.