Hurtigruten Group, a world leader in exploration travel and the largest cruise operator in polar waters, today launched its new Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, simultaneously calling upon the travel industry-and cruise operators in particular-to provide greater transparency.
In its 2021 ESG Report, Hurtigruten Group discloses its current data on emissions and social responsibility, while also committing to new science-based targets for the future. The adventure travel company emphasizes that achieving zero emissions needs to be the foremost goal for all cruise operators, as well as the wider travel industry.
"We operate in an industry which negatively impacts the environment, so we have a collective responsibility to be more transparent and accountable when it comes to our natural and social impact," said CEO of Hurtigruten Group Daniel Skjeldam. "Sustainability is not a marketing exercise, it's a core part of business. It's a license to operate and, more importantly, it's the right thing to do."
Among other things, the report, which was developed in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard, examines the ways in which each of the Group's three business areas-Hurtigruten Norway, Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Svalbard-reached its own ESG milestones in 2021.
Hurtigruten Expeditions last year launched its third battery-hybrid powered vessel, MS Otto Sverdrup, while its sister ship, MS Fridtjof Nansen, was awarded the title of world's most sustainable ship by Scope ESG and Stern Magazine.
Meanwhile, Hurtigruten Norway began activating its plans to launch Europe's most environmentally fleet upgrade to reduce its overall greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, cutting down nitrous oxides (NoX) by 80 percent; and, Hurtigruten Svalbard partnered with Volvo Penta to develop its division's first hybrid day cruiser.
"I am extremely proud of our colleagues both at land and sea for achieving many other ESG successes, despite operating in a pandemic. We have been a first-mover on sustainability for decades, and we will continue to be a catalyst for change towards a greener travel industry-to protect what we love today, tomorrow and into the future," Skjeldam added.
In addition, the offer provides an in-depth look at Hurtigruten Group's charted course toward achieving a more sustainable future for itself and serving as a catalyst for broader change in the cruise industry.
Other report highlights include the company's intention to launch the world's first zero-emission ship on the Norwegian coast by 2030, working in partnership with SINTEF, one of Europe's largest research organizations. Hurtigruten also aims to have transitioned to fully carbon-neutral operations by 2040 and to ultimately become completely emission-free by the year 2050.
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