Sustainability

Sail & Sustain Logo

Sail & Sustain: Our Global Sustainability Program

Driving a Positive Impact on Society and the Environment

At Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, we are committed to driving a positive impact on society and the environment through our global sustainability program, Sail & Sustain. We visit nearly 500 destinations globally, allowing our guests to travel and explore the world, and our business is inextricably linked to the preservation of our planet and the protection of our shared resources.

Learn more about our Sail & Sustain strategy

Key Highlights for 2021

Reducing Environmental Impact Reducing Environmental Impact
Sailing Safely Sailing Safely
Empowering People Empowering People
Strengthening Communities Strengthening Communities
Operating with Integrity and Accountability Operating with Integrity and Accountability

Pursuing Net Zero by 2050

with plans to set short- and near-term GHG reduction targets

24/7/365

stringent public health compliance culture

~120

countries represented by team members

$12M+

in total cash and in-kind donations to organizations around the world in 2021

Tied ESG to compensation

ESG metric added to our 2022 short-term incentive program

3M

tons of carbon offsets purchased to help bridge the decarbonization efforts1

100%

of ships sail with dedicated Public Health Officer onboard

~64%

U.S. shoreside employees that are under-represented minorities2

~$10M

provided to Alaska port communities & organizations for COVID-19 related relief and recovery

TESS

committee created in 2019 to oversee corporate social responsibility and sustainability

100%

of ships on order equipped with cold-ironing capabilities

ALL

voyages sail with SailSAFE™ health and safety program

~48%

female shoreside managers and above

Nearly 400

cruise longshoremen provided with gift cards totaling $100K

7

size of Norwegian board

~11M

single-use plastic water bottles and ~50M plastic straws estimated to be eliminated to date

4

expert advisors comprise the SailSAFE™ Global Health and Wellness Council

~80%

voluntary retention rate for global shoreside team in 2021

170

families provided with traditional Thanksgiving meals in partnership with Quirch / Colorado Boxed Beef Company

6.6

years average board tenure4

100%

ships with Advanced Wastewater Purification systems

10+ years

average experience of our ship Safety Officers

4/1

flexible work schedule for nearly all global shoreside team members3

600+

toys and ~$2,500 in gift cards provided in Camillus House holiday toy drive

~43%

Board directors with ESG skills and experience

  1. Commitment to purchase over three-year period, 2021-2023.
  2. Based on team members who have self-identified.
  3. 4/1 flexible model allows most employees to work in-office Monday through Thursday and remotely on Friday.
  4. As of April 28,2022.

 

Download Key Highlights Fact Sheet

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We are proud to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve a more sustainable future. Our Company touches nearly all 17 SDGs through our day-to-day operations, partnerships and social and community initiatives both locally and at the destinations we visit around the globe. However, we have identified 10 goals where we believe we can make the greatest contribution:

Health and safety are our number one priority and we are committed to protecting our guests, crew, shoreside team members and the communities we visit.
We enhanced our commitment to health and safety with our robust SailSAFETM health and safety program with protocols to create multiple layers of protection against COVID-19. We were the first major cruise operator to commit to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for all guests and crew upon an initial return to service in addition to the multi-layered SailSAFE preventative protocols*
We co-formed the Healthy Sail Panel, a group of 11 globally recognized experts, to inform the development of new and enhanced health and safety standards in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel’s work was widely shared and open to any other industry that could benefit from the scientific and medical insights.

*Limited exceptions may be made pursuant to valid medical or religious exemptions.
We have a stringent 24/7/365 Public Health program in place which works closely with public health agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Our Company is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workforce, where women are represented, engaged and empowered to generate and execute on innovative ideas.

59% of our global shoreside workforce is female, and 48% of our shoreside managers and above is female.

We have increased onboard water production with evaporators and Reverse Osmosis plants that use seawater as the source, which reduces the need for the bunkering of fresh water. In 2021, ~80% of our water was produced on board.

Our fleetwide average water consumption has decreased ~4.5% between 2015-2019. One of our water conservation efforts include installing water flow reducers on sink taps, shower heads and galley sink taps.

100% of our ships have Advanced Wastewater Purification systems onboard.

We have ship-specific plans in place that focus on improving energy efficiency including through improving voyage planning, speed optimization, operating engines on their most economic loads, optimization of HVAC systems, improving our ships’ hydrodynamic capabilities by upgrading the propulsion systems with more efficient propellers, applying low-friction hull coating and using energy-saving LED lights.

Our Waste Heat Recovery program works by recovering heat from the engines and using it to heat freshwater.

We directly employ ~35,000 team members internationally representing over 120 countries across the globe. We also have a significant indirect economic impact at our homeports and the nearly 500 destinations we visit worldwide.

We actively foster a culture of learning and offer a variety of developmental courses for our team members. During 2021, team members completed ~620,000 training and development hours.

We supported our employees through our student loan repayment and tuition reimbursement programs, paying over $375,000 in 2021.

In 2021, we donated $100,000 in Visa gift cards to help support the cruise members of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1416 which saw 60% of their business wiped out nearly overnight due to the pandemic. Longshoremen load and unload trains and ships from all over the world, including freighters and cruise ships. Local 1416 is a pillar of the local community, providing middle-class jobs and holding a historic position as the oldest Black union in Florida.

We remain committed to having a positive impact on our local communities, the communities we visit and on the local ecosystems through which we cruise.

In 2021, we donated ~$12 million in cash, cruise and other in-kind donations to various important causes.

In May 2021, we provided $10 million of cash support to Alaska port communities and organization severely impacted by the ongoing cruise voyage suspensions.

We promote responsible tourism by providing a variety of shore excursions for guests including Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ over 150 Eco-Connect tours in which guests engage with local groups and businesses to learn about how they’re working to conserve and sustain their surrounding environment.

We are committed to working with diverse partners across the supply chain to source safe, high quality, ethically responsible and sustainable products for our guests. In 2022, we updated our Supplier Code of Conduct and introduced a Responsible Sourcing Mission Statement to outline our expectations.

We have a strong focus on reducing single-use plastics through a multitude of initiatives. The various initiatives in place have resulted in the elimination of over 14 million single-use plastic water bottles and 51 million plastic straws to-date.

Animal welfare is important to us, and we require suppliers to implement procedures to prevent the mistreatment of animals. We have animal welfare goals including purchasing 100% of pork purchases from suppliers that do not use gestation crates by 2025.

~39% of our total U.S. supply chain spending, or $193 million, was with small businesses and businesses with minority, veteran or economically disadvantaged qualifications.

We have a long-term climate action strategy with a commitment to pursue net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 across our operations and value chain.

Alongside strategic partners such as engine manufacturers and classification societies, we are assessing the feasibility of retrofitting existing engines to operate with dual fuels - diesel and methanol - with the goal to test the use of methanol by 2025. The results and key learnings from the pilot project will inform our wider plans to decarbonize additional ships.

We committed to offset 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over a three year period beginning 2021.

We began climate risks and scenario planning which resulted in the publication of our first Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) report.

Our industry is inextricably linked to our oceans and as such, continual improvement is one of our core responsibilities.

We partner with various organizations to support ocean conservation including Ocean Conservancy and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. We also have a coral reef restoration project in the Bahamas in conjunction with Nova Southeastern University.

Harvest Caye, the Company’s private destination in Belize, is home to a wildlife sanctuary and is also one of the few nesting sites for endangered hawksbill turtles.

We established the Harvest Caye Conservation Foundation (HCCF) in partnership with Belize Island Holdings Ltd. as a non-governmental organization whose primary goal is to promote wildlife conservation in Belize.

In 2021, HCCF matched passenger donations dollar-for-dollar to provide further support in detecting and mitigating threats to the Scarlet Macaw population.

Since 2017, we have partnered with the Alaska Raptor Center, located in Sitka, Alaska, which is an avian hospital and rehabilitation center that cared for over 200 injured birds of prey during 2021.

Environmental

Preserving Our Planet

One of our core company values is environmental stewardship. The future of our oceans and the destinations we visit is vital to our industry, and all of us. We have implemented innovative environmental technologies across our fleet.

Learn About Our Environmental Initiatives

Social

Empowering and Protecting People & Uplifting Communities

We empower and support our team members, strengthen communities and protect our stakeholders as we sail safely around the globe. Our goal is to leave each place a little better than we found out. Find out how our teams rebuild disaster areas, celebrate everyday heroes and more.

Learn About Our Social Impact

Governance

Operating with Integrity and Accountability

We have a strong corporate governance system in place to provide high standards of transparency and accountability and strive to be a leader in ethics and responsible business practices.

Learn About Our Governance

Reporting and Downloads

We invite you to learn more about our Sail & Sustain accomplishments and are pleased to offer these materials for you to access at your leisure.

Access Our Reporting and Downloads