Tag Archives: eco-friendly

Everllence and Plastic Fischer Fight Against Plastic Waste

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Everllence and Plastic Fischer Fight Against Plastic Waste

Everllence has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with social enterprise Plastic Fischer, which will see the clearing of rivers near Everllence locations in India of plastic waste.

Plastic Fischer is a Cologne-based startup that combats ocean plastic pollution while creating jobs in emerging countries. As part of the partnership, regular joint-collection campaigns with employees will take place at Everllence locations in India.

Everllence said in a press release that the partnership will enable Plastic Fischer to collect and recycle between 450 and 500 tons of plastic over the next three years.

A total of seven floating barriers will be installed in Vadodara and Bangalore to capture plastic from the river. The startup will also use the funding to open two material-recovery facilities to sort and recycle the collected materials.

In the first year, these measures are expected to create 20 local jobs.

Uwe Lauber, CEO of Everllence, said: “Protecting oceans and waterways is especially important to us. Plastic Fischer has been carrying out impressive work in this field for many years, and we are proud and happy to support their mission.”

Karsten Hirsch, CEO and founder of Plastic Fischer, said: “We are very pleased to take our next big step with Everllence and expand into two new locations at once.”

“This long-term support will help us build infrastructure and drive sustainable change on-site. We are proud to have earned Everllence’s trust to build a flagship project with a strong local impact together,” Hirsch added.

Michael Melzer, head of experience communications and responsible for donations and sponsorships at Everllence, said: “What convinced us about Plastic Fischer, in addition to our shared commitment to protecting waterways, was its local approach.”

“Together, not only can we fight plastic waste, but we can also make a contribution to local economic development around our Indian sites. Furthermore, our employees in Bangalore and Vadodara can volunteer in the cleanups; it’s a great cooperation,” added Melzer.

Plastic Fischer uses barriers called TrashBooms to capture plastic directly in rivers.

Non-recyclable waste is processed in cement plants, serving as a more environmentally friendly alternative to landfill or incineration, as it produces no residues like ash and simultaneously replaces fossil fuels.

MSC Cruises Adds Electric Buses for Shore Excursions in Barcelona

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MSC Magnifica under the Forth Bridge, Queensferry, Edinburgh.

MSC Cruises has chosen Barcelona as its main port this summer for shore excursions to be operated by electric buses as part of the line’s ongoing sustainability drive, the company said, adding that it is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emission operations by 2050.

Daily excursions for guests from the Spanish port number between 20 and 25 journeys and the use of electric buses will make an annual saving of nearly 10,500 kilograms of CO2 emissions compared to petrol-driven vehicles., according to a statement.

The electric buses are also significantly quieter and reduce potential noise impact on local communities. 

MSC Cruises estimates that the new electric buses will transport up to 2,000 passengers every week during the summer from Barcelona and it is working with local tour operators to increase the figure to 4,000 customers with the introduction of more eco-friendly buses to join its sustainable ground transport fleet.

The busses will be available this summer for cruise passengers calling at Barcelona onboard the MSC Armonia, MSC Bellissima, MSC Divina, MSC Fantasia, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Lirica, MSC Magnifica, MSC Meraviglia, MSC Opera, MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Seaview and MSC Virtuosa.

MSC Cruises’ new 11,670 square meter cruise terminal at Barcelona is due to open in 2024 and sustainability credentials will be incorporated into the building.  The new cruise terminal is on track to be ‘Gold Rated’ under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – LEED – standard, a widely used global green building rating system.

Virgin and Emerald To Bring Sustainability to the Seas

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Virgin Voyages Ship

Virgin Voyages and Emerald Brand have announced a sustainability partnership to deliver a tree-free and plastic-free experience on board the Virgin ships. The partnership begins on the Scarlet Lady, setting sail in 2020.

Virgin Voyages said it is among the first of major cruise lines to ban single-use plastic. Their goal is to fully embed sustainability into their business model through their operations and the sailor (guest) experience itself.

In addition to replacing single-use plastics with reusable items, Virgin and Emerald will deliver a so-called tree-free experience through the ship’s disposable paper products. Bath tissue, facial tissue, hot cups, paper towels, and napkins will be made from 60% to 100% tree-free material.  According to a prepared statement, these products are made with unique technology that uses the by-product of agricultural crops that are typically burned or wasted, in place of trees.

The partnership underscores the level of impact both companies are seeking to make. Jill Stoneberg, director of sustainability and social impact at Virgin, stated: “We have really ambitious goals here so no decision is taken lightly. Everything down to seemingly simple changes in our supply chain is made with the intention of giving sailors the absolute best experience while continuing to change business for good.”

“Driving change to solve the issue of plastic waste and deforestation has been embedded in our company’s ethos since my father founded our group over twenty years ago,” added Ralph Bianculli Jr., managing director of Emerald.

Emerald’s team of environmental experts, said to be known as the Eco-Squad, will help Virgin measure and communicate the environmental footprint reduction that has resulted from the switch to Emerald’s products. The Eco-Squad will also provide solutions for continuous improvement throughout the supply chain.