French cruise ship operator Ponant has become the first maritime cruise line to achieve Green Globe certification – an international standard for travel and tourism companies.
The award underlines Ponant’s commitment to more responsible tourism.
According to Wassim Daoud, head of CSR and sustainability at Ponant: “Green Globe certification, a global industry standard, is a key element of our commitment to ensuring accountability for our actions.”
“It’s important for our guests and also for continuing to encourage the whole 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.”
Ponant already has an impressive track record of responsible operatorship, having become the first cruise line in the world to abandon heavy fuel oil and support international authorities in advocating for the extension of Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) to all oceans, like the Rome Declaration.
Since 2019, Ponant’s entire fleet has been using Low-Sulphur Marine Gas Oil (LS-MGO); and since 2021 Ponant has been pursuing a gradual phase-out programme around the use of single-use plastic. The company’s objective remains to reach zero single-use plastic by the end of this year.
