Along with 40 of The Travel Corporation’s other brands, Uniworld River Cruises has been mapping its journey to greening its operations. Its parent company’s inaugural Impact Report details Uniworld’s momentum in shaping a brighter future for the river cruise industry, effectively making it the first cruise line to publish a transparent account of its progress.
Uniworld had set out on a mission to affect positive change with science-based goals, focusing on food waste reduction, supporting developing destinations and utilising local suppliers.
1. Reduce food waste by 50% across all ships by 2025
Uniworld’s food waste management trial conducted over a period of three months on one of its ships resulted in a food waste reduction of 15%. The official launch of this management system will be introduced to five more ships, and by the end of the year, across half its fleet.
2. Increase local and organic food supply by 2025
Local produce to Uniworld is anything sourced within an 80km radius of the riverbank. Currently, Uniworld’s onboard culinary team utilises 57% from local suppliers and 36% from organic suppliers.
3. Include at least one impactful travel experience across 50% of itineraries by 202
Dubbed ‘Make Travel Matter’, Uniworld seeks to give its customers more ways to give back to the communities, wildlife and land in the destinations they sail. To date, 31% of Uniworld itineraries have been integrated with at least one ‘Make Travel Matter’ experience.
Julie Higgins, sustainability officer for Uniworld, said that “being the first river cruise line to publish an Impact Report is not only a true testament to our dedication to these goals but ensures that we’ll transparently be monitoring to openly report on our progress with the environment and make actionable commitments for future impact.”