We’re taking action to be more sustainable

As we continue our focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship, we’re taking a look at the impactful projects and achievements made across the business in 2024:

Contributing to leading global research

The United Nations Tourism, supported by the University of Oxford, is developing the first harmonised Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework for tourism businesses, aiming to help monitor their sustainability efforts in a standardised way. Carnival UK played a vital role by providing valuable insights for the research and design phase.

As part of this collaboration, SDG Impact Lab Fellows (a select group of Oxford’s graduate students tasked with developing research-based solutions to environmental challenges) were hosted onboard P&O Cruises Britannia to explore its cutting-edge sustainability initiatives and advanced technologies to mitigate environmental impact. The insights gained played a crucial role in shaping recommendations for designing the new framework, resulting in a best-practice case study which was presented to the UN on 30 September 2024.The University of Oxford highlighted our efforts, commending our innovative approach to environmental management and highlighting the business’ focus to driving progress in sustainability.

Reducing waste across our operations

This continues to be a key priority and 2024 saw multiple projects launched to support our ambitious goals. A returnable packaging initiative, which saw suppliers successfully adopt plastic pallets for food and beverage deliveries, improved delivery efficiencies and has set the pathway towards unlocking reliance on single-use materials, reducing packaging waste.

Additionally, our development kitchen in Southampton partnered with OLIO to distribute surplus food, drastically cutting food waste whilst helping to address food scarcity in the local community. Onboard our ships, galley teams achieved over 40% reduction in food waste through improved tracking, crew education and awareness initiatives. This all means we’re well on track to meet our ambitious goal of a 50% per-person food waste reduction by 2030.

Helping to preserve and protect our marine environment

For nearly a decade, we’ve continued efforts to safeguard marine life by partnering with ORCA, a charity whose vision is to protect whales and dolphins. Throughout 2024, ORCA Ocean Conservationists joined 15 P&O Cruises sailings to conduct research by tracking tens of thousands of kilometres of oceans contributing towards the creation of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs). The conservationists also delivered onboard enrichment programmes to guests, raising awareness about marine conservation.

During her Alaska season, Queen Elizabeth hosted a Marine Mammal Observer to gather critical data around evolving whale migration patterns. The research fed into the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee, contributing to the shared goal of protecting whales and safeguard other marine species by avoiding sensitive habitats. The ship was flagged as a Gold Medal user of the Whale Alert Map, contributing to a record-breaking 2,838 whale sightings in 2024.

Partnering with our destinations and communities

We’re dedicated to community engagement and environmental preservation through a series of impactful initiatives and supporting organisations. This includes Walkers Reserve, a 277-acre bioregional hub, learning centre and eco-tourism destination located in the heart of the National Park System on the east coast of Barbados. P&O Cruises also commissioned sustainable jewellery by Bajan artist Ichia Tiya to be sold onboard, reflecting our commitment to championing local talent to help support economic development in the country.

Colleagues ship and shore took part in 14 coastal cleans, across 7 countries. Over 100 shoreside colleagues and more than 170 crew got involved, cleaning an impressive 235,000 square metres of coastline, and collecting over 1.3 tonnes of waste.

Our achievements throughout 2024 underpin our role as a leader in sustainable tourism. By setting short and long-term ambitious goals and partnering with global and local stakeholders, we continue to strive to define the future of responsible travel. Find out more about our sustainability focus areas and goals here.