Royal Caribbean Group is committing to the next phase of its ongoing partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for guidance and counsel in establishing bold environmental goals and sustainable business practices. This renewal of the partnership the group’s broader decarbonisation strategy, focused on establishing Science-Based Targets.

Royal Caribbean Group first partnered with WWF in 2016, where the conservation organisation has since offered advice on sustainability matters in the group’s business and guided the cruise line on promoting responsible tourism in priority coastal destinations and protecting the oceans through global conservation investments.

The partnership had established and met the 2020 sustainability goals, and over the next five years will be focussing on setting ambitious, measurable sustainability targets around the reduction of carbon emissions, the sustainable growth and development of the business, sustainable commodity sourcing and tourism, the elimination of single-use plastics and waste management, among other areas.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO 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 (ESG) work. The support and assistance of WWF will be invaluable to realising this mission as we work to set and achieve our sustainability goals.”

President and CEO of WWF-US Carter Roberts shared: “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.

Roberts added: “Our work together is grounded in the reality that people everywhere – from local communities and Indigenous peoples 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.”

This year, WWF and Royal Caribbean Group will work together to establish sustainability goals across three key areas of Ship, Sea and Shore: ‘Ship’ will see the continuous improvement of operational sustainability; ‘Sea’ will focus on investing in ocean health through targeted philanthropy, education and fundraising campaigns; while ‘Shore’ embeds principles of sustainable development in projects and increasing sustainability and certification of tour operators.

Royal Caribbean Group will continue to provide financial support to WWF’s global ocean conservation work through a US$5 million philanthropic contribution and collaborate with WWF to build global awareness about ocean conservation issues among Royal Caribbean Group’s guests.