Royal Caribbean says it surpassed food-waste reduction target
The cruise line reports beating its fleetwide goal by two percentage points after beginning the initiative in 2019.
Royal Caribbean International has surpassed its target of reducing fleetwide food waste by 50%, according to Linken D’Souza, the company’s senior vice president of food and beverage. D’Souza said the cruise line beat the target by two percentage points.
Royal Caribbean began working to reduce food waste in 2019 and aimed to halve it across the fleet by 2025. By early 2024, the company said it had reduced food waste by about 33%. Its efforts have included a proprietary supply-monitoring platform, artificial intelligence to adjust food production, and a dedicated onboard food-waste position focused on monitoring and crew training.
The cruise line also equipped its Icon Class ships with an AI system designed to forecast food requirements for individual voyages and ingredients. The company reported that the system helped Icon of the Seas use more than 85% of its onboard food.
Royal Caribbean plans to decarbonize its operations by 2050 and deliver a net-zero cruise ship by 2035 through its Destination Net Zero strategy. Royal Caribbean Group also wants to reduce carbon intensity by 15% by 2027 from a 2024 baseline. Silver Nova, which sails for Silversea Cruises, is powered by liquefied natural gas, a fuel-cell system and batteries.
