PONANT has been awarded the official Green Globe Certification, becoming the first maritime cruise line to obtain this prestigious certification. This accreditation is applicable to its entire fleet, including all four sistership vessels, the six PONANT Explorers, the world’s only luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, and the iconic flagship sailing yacht Le Ponant.
The Green Globe International Standard for Sustainable Travel and Tourism, recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, assesses the sustainability of business operations. The certification is a testament to PONANT’s ongoing commitment to innovation and adopting more sustainable tourism practices.
Wassim Daoud, Head of CSR and Sustainability at PONANT, explains, “Green Globe certification, a global tourism industry standard, is a key element of our commitment to ensuring accountability for our actions. It’s important for our guests to continue to encourage the maritime sector to realise its environmental transition. What sets this certification apart is that it is based on continuous improvement. While our goal this year was to obtain it, the major challenge in the coming years will be to keep it.”
Deb Corbett, General Manager Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific, adds, “We are thrilled to announce PONANT’s accreditation of the Green Globe Certification for our entire fleet, making history as the first maritime cruise company to earn this international standard, setting a new precedent for sustainable tourism. This accolade reflects our unwavering commitment to reducing environmental impact and pioneering innovative practices in luxury expedition travel.”
Since 2019, the entire fleet has been using Low-Sulphur Marine Gas Oil (LS-MGO), which has a sulphur content below 0.05%, 13 times lower than current maritime standards, significantly limiting its atmospheric impact. PONANT was the world’s first cruise line to abandon heavy fuel oil and support international authorities advocating for the extension of the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) to all oceans, like the Rome Declaration.
In addition, PONANT is equipping its entire fleet with catalytic systems to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and shore power connection systems in ports, which means engines can be switched off. Both these technologies will be fully deployed by the end of 2026. PONANT has set a target to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% per cruise day by 2030, compared to 2018.
The company has also made great strides in reducing waste production. Since 2021, a strategy of gradually phasing out single-use plastics has been implemented. This has been notably realised through the deployment of Nordaq filtration units for onboard production of drinking water from seawater.
It is then distributed via water fountains or recyclable glass bottles facilitated by an onboard encapsulation chain. In 2022, this strategy meant that nearly 390,000 single-use bottles (five tonnes of plastic) were avoided (compared to 2019). The company has also reviewed all its onboard operations to eliminate other sources of plastic waste and continues to pursue its zero single-use plastic objective in 2024.
PONANT, in collaboration with the ESCAMA Foundation, is making a significant difference in the Bijagos archipelago in Guinea Bissau. They have undertaken a project to rebuild a school in Anipoc village, benefiting around 300 locals through education and literacy programmes. The PONANT Foundation is funding the construction and teachers’ salaries and promoting eco-responsible management of the school. This includes waste recycling, clean water access, and solar power.
This certification rewards the commitment of all PONANT teams over the past several years to reduce their environmental footprint and contribute to more sustainable tourism.
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